Current Employment Position(s)

; Labor and Employment

Lawyer Overview

Neal is a shareholder and director in the firm of Briggs and Morgan, Professional Association. He is a member of the Labor and Employment Section, co-chair of the firm's Nonprofit Practice Group and head of the Education Practice Group. He practices principally in the areas of:

• Employment litigation and counseling
• Commercial litigation and shareholder disputes
• Education and nonprofit organization law

Neal has more than 20 years of experience in complex commercial litigation and employment law cases, both trial and appeal. He has litigated major shareholder disputes, discrimination and harassment suits, employee theft claims, the enforcement of covenants not to compete and significant trust cases.

In addition to his litigation work, Neal represents several major private foundations, public charities and social service agencies as their general counsel and is counsel to the members of a statewide professional educators’ association. He advises his nonprofit clients on corporate governance, tax compliance, employment and other aspects of nonprofit law.

Neal is a qualified neutral under Minnesota Practice Rule 114. He is an adjunct instructor at the University of Minnesota Law School, where he teaches appellate advocacy. He has been listed in Minnesota Super Lawyers .

Neal recently published articles on the Minnesota corporate indemnification statute and on certiorari review in Minnesota Bench & Bar, on the Minnesota whistleblower law in the William Mitchell Law Review and on the privacy tort in Hamline Law Review. Since 1989, his article on "Covenants Not to Compete in the Sale of a Business" has been used nationwide in the Matthew Bender Business Torts series. He was quoted in the National Law Journal's article entitled "Charities See Crackdown Over Abuses" (Oct. 18, 2004) and in "Thwarting Thieves," published in The ABA Journal (December 2003). He has also contributed on a variety of topics, including employee thefts, management termination, independent contractors, tenant rights, sales and mergers, brand names, performance improvement plans, obtaining a corporate name, forming subsidiaries and putting together a board, for the St. Paul Pioneer Press column entitled "Solutions."

Neal received his B.A. summa cum laude from the College of St. Thomas and his M.A. and J.D. from the University of Notre Dame, where he was an editor of the Notre Dame Law Review. He was formerly a law clerk for the Minnesota Supreme Court. Neal joined Briggs in 1986.

Areas of Practice

• Labor and Employment
• Nonprofits
• Business Litigation
• Employment Law Counseling
• Education
• Employment Law Litigation
• Administrative & Regulatory

West Practice Categories

Administrative Hearings & Adjudication, Administrative Investigations, Administrative Law, Administrative Officers & Agents, Administrative Rulemaking, Affirmative Action -- Employee, Affirmative Action -- Employer, Business & Commercial Law, Business Organizations, Class Actions, Colleges & Universities, Complex Litigation, Contracts, Education Law, Employment Contracts -- Employee, Employment Contracts -- Employer, Employment Discrimination -- Employee, Employment Discrimination -- Employer, Employment Law -- Employee, Employment Law -- Employer, Federal Appellate Practice, Federal Claims Court, Federal Trial Practice, Health & Health Care Law, Immigration & Naturalization Law, Labor Law, Limited Liability Companies, Litigation & Appeals, Non-profit & Tax-exempt Organizations, Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) -- Employee, Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) -- Employer, Patent Litigation, Private Schools, Public Schools, Regulatory Enforcement, Sexual Harassment -- Employee, Sexual Harassment -- Employer, Special Education, State Appellate Practice, State Trial Practice, Student Rights, Tenure, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Wage & Hour Laws -- Employee, Wage & Hour Laws -- Employer, Whistleblower -- Employee, Whistleblower -- Employer, Wrongful Termination -- Employee, Wrongful Termination -- Employer

Bar Admissions

• Minnesota, 1985

Professional Associations and Memberships

• National Association of College and University Attorneys
• Member
• American Bar Association
• Member
• Minnesota State Bar
• Member
• Ramsey County Bar Association
• Section Head, Labor and Employment Section (1998-Present)
• University of St. Thomas
• Member, Alumni Board of Directors
• Ramsey County Bar Association
• Former Chair, Young Lawyers Section (1988-1989)

Honors and Awards

Education

• Notre Dame Law School, 1985
  J.D.
• University of Notre Dame, 1982
  M.A.
• University of St. Thomas, 1980
  B.A.
  Honors: Summa Cum Laude

Published Works

• Step-by-Step Guide to Corporate Indemnification, 2008
• Briggs Employment Attorneys on Blogging, Bench & Bar, 2007
• Reading the Roadmap: Corporate Indemnification in Minnesota, 2004
• Everybody Likes a Tattletale?, 2002

Address

2200 IDS Center
80 South 8th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402

Phones

612.977.8248 (Business Phone)

Faxes

612.977.8650 (Business Fax)

Emails

Contact Us (Business Email)

Websites

http://www.briggs.com/