Attorneys:

James R. Woeppel

Attorney James Woeppel

James R. Woeppel has advised clients on a wide range of maritime and business matters for over 25 years in private practice with Aiken, St. Louis & Siljeg, P.S. His practice has focused on maritime and business matters, assisting clients in business formation, financing and sales, the fishing industry, transactional work, regulatory concerns, operational issues and varied commercial matters.

Jim represents clients in the full range of admiralty and business matters such as financing, purchase and sale transactions, vessel construction, fisheries matters, contractual disputes, vessel arrests, tort liability and insurance matters. His clients have included commercial lenders, business owners, vessel owners and shipyards. He is also well versed in regulatory matters on all levels of government. He has represented clients in proceedings in federal and state courts and federal regulatory agencies such as the Coast Guard, Maritime Administration, OSHA, Environmental Protection Agency, and the FCC, and a variety of state and local regulatory agencies.

Jim is active in the legal community, having served as Co-Chair of the Admiralty Committee of the Federal Bar Association for the Western District of Washington for many years. He helped revise the Local Admiralty Rules for the Western District of Washington, and has been a speaker at maritime seminars and an officer of the Fisheries and Maritime Section of the Seattle/King County Bar Association. He has also served as a Federal Court mediator in a variety of admiralty and maritime cases.

Prior to joining the firm in 1984, Jim had a broad-based maritime background. After his graduation from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, he served as a seagoing officer in the Coast Guard. He then earned his law degree from George Washington University Law School and later received an L.L.M. in Environmental Law in 1981 from that same university. He spent five years as a Coast Guard legal officer, both in the Chief Counsel's Office in Washington D.C. and as an assistant legal officer in Seattle, focusing on maritime, regulatory and litigation matters.

In addition to his extensive legal experience, Jim has broad maritime, business, and community service experience. He has served as CEO of a Seattle area shipyard, and is a current board member of and legal advisor to a Seattle-based vessel safety organization, the North Pacific Fishing Vessel Owners Association. Jim is also a board member of several local independent schools. He has served as CEO of a housing cooperative and on the board of a credit union and a non-profit housing organization. He has also served and continues to serve on various other local community boards.

Profile
  • Place and Date of Birth:
  • Norfolk, Nebraska; February 22, 1951
  • Position with Firm:
  • Principal
  • Started with Firm:
  • 1984
  • General Areas of Practice:
  • Maritime Law
    Business Law
    Environmental Law
  • Other Legal Experience:
  • Attorney, United States Coast Guard (1978-1983)
  • Non Legal Experience:
  • President of Seattle shipyard, 1992; manage operation of fishing vessels in Alaska and Washington 1992-1998; Board Member for Numerous Community Organizations.
  • Law School:
  • George Washington University (J.D. 1978; LL.M. in Environmental Law, 1981)
  • Undergraduate School:
  • United States Coast Guard Academy (B.S., 1973, Deans List); 1972 Rowing National Champions
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