Robert P. Herre

 

Mr. Herre is from north-county St. Louis, Missouri, where he grew up on the banks of the Missouri River.  He attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, graduating in 1974 from the dual-license program, with a degree in Marine Engineering and Nautical Science.  In 1979 he received a Master of Business Administration degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.  He earned a Juris Doctor degree at the University of Louisville in 1995, in the night program while working full-time at Jeffboat.

 

Prior to joining Miller Hahn, PLCC in December of 2019, Mr. Herre served in both legal and executive roles in the maritime industry.  Mr. Herre began his legal career in 2010, serving as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for The Vane Brothers Company in Baltimore, Maryland.  In 2011, he moved to Louisville where he commenced the private practice of law under the name WorkBoatLaw® with Vane Brothers as an anchor client.  In that same year, he also joined HMS Global Maritime as General Counsel.

 

Mr. Herre began his maritime career in 1974 with The Valley Line Company where he served as a Maintenance Engineer, New Construction Manager, and Director of Operations.  In 1989, he relocated to Paducah, Kentucky where he served Ohio River Company as the General Manager of Walker Boat Yard.  Then, in 1991, he began a career at Jeffboat and simultaneously commenced the study of law at the University of Louisville.  Mr. Herre served Jeffboat as a Design Engineer, Vice President of Engineering, Vice President of Human Resources and President.  In 2005, Mr. Herre was appointed as President and Chief Operating Officer of the shipbuilding division of the Manitowoc Company (NYSE) where he served for five years, eventually selling the division to an Italian shipbuilding conglomerate.

 

His practice includes negotiating and drafting a wide spectrum of maritime and commercial agreements including vessel charters, contracts of affreightment, fleeting agreements, employment agreements, insurance agreements, sales agreements, service agreements, contracts pertaining to banking matters, mergers and acquisition and other commercial transactions.  Mr. Herre’s litigation experience includes personal injury cases for the defense, predominately maritime cases arising under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, the Jones Act and general maritime law involving personal injury, death, collision/property damage, cargo, maritime liens, marine construction, vessel documentation, insurance coverage and indemnity issues.

 

His areas of practice include Admiralty and Maritime law (Insurance, Litigation and Transactions); Business Law; Business-Corporate-Commercial Transactions, Employment-Human Resources and Mergers and Acquisitions.

 

Mr. Herre has served as a Merit Board member for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.  He is a current Board Member of the Kentucky Derby Festival, an active member of the Knights of Columbus and Vice President of his neighborhood HOA.  Mr. Herre, and his wife of 45 years, have two sons, an engineer and a veterinarian.

 

 

Bars & Courts:

• Kentucky Bar, 1995

• United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky

• United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana

 

Professional Associations:

• Kentucky Bar Association

• Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers

• Marine Transportation Council

• Port of Louisville Propeller Club