Years of litigation experience adds substantial value to Aaron Weiner’s service as a mediator.
Weiner Continues Family Legal Tradition
By Elizabeth Elliott
The Daily Record
After a quarter century of litigation practice, Aaron Weiner wishes to devote more time to the three M’s: Mediation, Mindfulness, and Mentorship. Weiner is a partner with Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman LLP.
Being an attorney is a tradition in his family, going back at least as far as his great grandfather. Weiner’s father, the late Ken Weiner, was an Omaha attorney and past president of the Omaha Bar Association. Weiner said this family tradition and his love of learning drew him to the practice of law.
He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, and served as a law clerk for the Hon. John T. Grant of the Nebraska Supreme Court. He joined AK&C in 1990.
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The Legislative Chambers filled with friends, family and colleagues of Jim Cavanaugh and Diane Battiato (above) when they took their oaths of office last Thursday.
Family Ties Make Occasion Especially Sweet
By Lorraine Boyd
The Daily Record
It was a historic day January 8, 2015, when Assessor/Register of Deeds Diane Battiato swore to perform her duties to the best of her ability and newly-elected Douglas County Commissioner Jim Cavanaugh took his oath of office.
Not only is the merger of the Register of Deed’s office and the Assessor’s Office historic, but this is the first time that the Assessor is a woman. Battiato was also the first woman to hold the office of Register of Deeds when she was elected in 2004. Battiato noted that this was especially sweet for her because her father was the office manager of the Assessor’s Office and she is carrying his briefcase in his honor.
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Susie Cordero is the reliable glue that holds the courthouse events together.
Holding it All Together:
U.S. District Court’s Susie Cordero
By Andy Roberts
The Daily Record
Chances are, if you have spent any time around the Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse in downtown Omaha, you have met or heard about Susie Cordero.
But chances are you don’t know her whole story, and it is one to remember. Her path to serving as administrative assistant for the clerk of the U.S. District Court in Nebraska is far from an ordinary one.
That rich beginning only grew, when she met her Mexican-born husband, Israel, in California. The couple has two grown sons – one in Dallas and one in Las Vegas. The Corderos moved to Nebraska to do social work, helping Hispanic families adjust to their new country and sharing their faith with them.
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Don Stavneak (left) and Rod Smith are energized by their company’s new surroundings at The Mastercraft.
– Photo by JordanGreen.com Volano Solutions
Software Consultancy Firm Named
2015’s First Small Business of the Month
By Dan McCann
The Daily Record
There are tech start-ups. And then, there are tech started-ups – those once-fledgling businesses that have innovated their way to solid success over the years. Omaha-based Volano Solutions has not only earned a spot in the latter class, it’s also earned honors as the Greater Omaha Chamber’s first Small Business of the Month for 2015.
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Borgeson Retains County Board Chair,
Rodgers Re-elected Vice ChairTwo familiar faces were chosen Tuesday to lead the Douglas County Board of Commissioners during the coming year.
Commissioner Mary Ann Borgeson, District 6, was voted to continue in her position as chair, while Commissioner Chris Rodgers, District 3, was re-elected vice chair by their fellow commissioners. Borgeson was first elected to the Douglas County Board in 1994. This is her ninth term as board chair.
Commissioner Rodgers was first elected to the County Board in 2004 and is in his third term as a Commissioner. The Douglas County Board of Commissioners annually elects a new chair and vice chair during the first meeting of the year.
Returning County Commissioners Sworn In
– Photos by Lorraine Boyd
Swearing-in ceremonies took place Tuesday morning before the Douglas County Board meeting in the Legislative Chambers.
P.J. Morgan (above) is congratulated by his wife Anne, his daughter Alyse Morgan, and Douglas County District Court Judge Thomas Otepka after the administration of his oath of office as a Douglas County Commissioner. Anne Morgan holds the family Bible. This is his second term.  Mary Ann Borgeson celebrates her 6th election – since 1994 – to the Douglas County Board with her husband, Bob, and Douglas County Court Judge John Huber.
Will Acosta-Trejo (left) chats with Nebraska Court of Appeals Judge John Irwin at the 2014 NSBA annual meeting in October.
From Fundraising to Law
Acosta-Trejo Takes Road Less Traveled
By Andy Roberts
The Daily Record
The view from the City of Omaha legal office may not be the most exciting, but that hardly bothers William Acosta-Trejo.
Between his family life, his day job, bar organizations and work in the JAG Corps, he probably doesn’t sit still long enough to take a look.
Acosta-Trejo, who goes by Will, was born in Monterey, Calif., when both his parents were in the Army. His mother left the service to raise him and moved back to her Colorado home where he grew up.
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Michaela Smith finds McGrath North to be a perfect fit for her skills.
– Photo by Michael Tran
Smith:
Ordinary Name, Extra-ordinary Attorney
Julien R. Fielding
The Daily Record Teachers make a difference. They can inspire, mentor, and even help a student find his or her direction in life. At least that’s what happened to Michaela A. Smith, an attorney and shareholder at McGrath North.
When she was pursuing her undergraduate degree in political science at Loyola University Chicago, several of her teachers were lawyers, and the way that they approached the material piqued her interest in the field.
To “test the waters” as to whether or not she would like to pursue a law degree, she got an internship at the Cook County State Attorney’s office which, according to its website, says it is the “second largest prosecutor’s office in the nation, second only to Los Angeles County.”
The website goes to on to say, “In addition to direct criminal prosecution, the assistant state attorneys file legal actions to enforce child support orders, litigate to protect consumers and the elderly from exploitation, and assist thousands of victims of sexual assault and domestic violence every year.” It employs nearly 900 attorneys and more than 1,500 employees.
“It was an eye-opening experience,” Smith said about working there. “That type of work has a huge burn-out factor. It was an interesting experience.”
But it also taught her that she didn’t want to pursue criminal law. Today, her practice is focused on commercial litigation.
You can learn more about her firm at www.mcgrathnorth.com. Click here for full story
 Dave Houghton and Mary Vandenack are photographed in the lobby of their Aksarben Village offices, one of two locations their new firm will occupy.
Houghton Vandenack Williams Whitted Weaver Parsonage
The Anatomy of a Law Firm Merger
By Lorraine Boyd The Daily Record
It’s a match made in heaven. Principals of two successful Omaha law firms are sure of it.
This could be a primer for how to merge two law firms to become one complete, “full-service” firm. Let’s see how it came about.
Dave Houghton, of Houghton Whitted Weaver LLC, and Mary Vandenack, of Parsonage Vandenack Williams LLC, got together for coffee in August and talked about American Bar Association topics. Dave casually mentioned that he was looking for one or two lawyers “on the transaction side” to back up the corporate skills of members of his firm. Click here for full story
State Farm recently welcomed new agent Matt Rowe to its family of Good Neighbor Agents in Omaha. The Matt Rowe agency is located at 4845 N 72nd St.
Rowe brings more than 6 years of insurance and financial experience to his agency after having previously worked for two State Farm agents in Nebraska. Prior to joining State Farm, Rowe served for 13 years in the U.S. military. He is a graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, where he studied business management and recreation management. He is a member of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
Rowe’s office includes staff members Candace Purvis and Andrea Wilson, who are well prepared to help customers with their insurance and financial services needs. Purvis is a veteran of State Farm with more than 23 years of experience. Wilson recently completed her service in the U.S. Navy.
For more information about Matt Rowe’s State Farm office, please visit the agency’s website at www.mattroweinsurance.com.  From left to right: Andrea Wilson, State Farm agent Matt Rowe and Candace Purvis. Lifelong Educator Hank M. Bounds, Ph.D.
Named President of University of Nebraska
 The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has appointed Hank M. Bounds, Ph.D., as the seventh president of the University of Nebraska. Bounds will begin his tenure as president on April 13, 2015.
Bounds, a first-generation traditional college student who has spent his entire 25-year career in education – first as a high school teacher, then as a principal, superintendent and state superintendent – currently serves as commissioner of higher education for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. He was selected for the NU presidency among four public finalists following an extensive national search that engaged hundreds of Nebraskans, including nearly three dozen key university constituents who served on a pair of search committees tasked with assisting the Board in identifying the right candidate to build on the University of Nebraska’s impressive trajectory.
Since 2009, Bounds has served as the chief executive officer of Mississippi’s public university system, which includes four research universities, four regional universities and an academic health science center. Among the universities are two land-grant institutions, three historically black institutions, a law center, a school of veterinary medicine, and 200 institutes and centers. Together, the system enrolls about 85,000 students, employs more than 26,000 faculty and staff, and operates with a combined annual budget of approximately $4.5 billion including an average of more than $500 million in research and development.
For more information regarding the University of Nebraska, please go to www.nebraska.edu.
P&L Technology Adds to Team
 P&L Technology, Inc. recently announced that Michael Hartung and Tom Formanek have joined its network operations center in Omaha. Hartung works as a system administrator, providing customer-focused technical response, support and provisioning of managed service solutions. He has more than four years of technical support and implementation experience. Most recently, he worked at PayPal in a Level 2 technical position. Hartung earned an associate of applied sciences degree in computer network systems. Formanek has taken on the role of field technician providing network support at client sites. His background includes experience as a network/classroom administrator for 1Staff Training and as a network/server administrator for RVC, Inc. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Bellevue University. For more information regarding P&L Technology, please visit www.pltechnology.com. Pictured (left to right) : Mark Jastorff, District VI Conference MC and Vice President of Advancement for Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and Dr. Maryanne Stevens, RSM, President of College of Saint Mary. CSM President Dr. Maryanne Stevens, RSM
Receives CASE VI Chief Executive Leadership Award
College of Saint Mary (CSM) President Dr. Maryanne Stevens, RSM, was recently honored with the Chief Executive Leadership Award at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District VI Conference held in Denver, Colorado. CASE District VI presents this prestigious award yearly to an outstanding president, chancellor, head master or system head of one of the 240 District VI CASE member institutions. Stevens became president of CSM in 1996.
Richard Jeffries, J.D, CSM Board of Directors Chairman and Partner at Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P., nominated Stevens for this honor stating, “When Dr. Stevens took the helm, CSM had literally mortgaged its land and incurred debt that threatened to impair the College.” He went on to say, “…Dr. Stevens eliminated CSM’s debt and enhanced its academic offerings. A tenacious fundraiser, Dr. Stevens has upgraded every academic space on campus, secured the construction of a student commons and attracted the $11 million necessary to build Madonna Hall, where single mothers may live and learn with their children in community.”
Stevens holds a bachelor’s degree in math and sociology from College Misericordia in Dallas, Pennsylvania; a master’s degree in theology from St. Louis University; and a Ph.D. in religion and education from Boston College.
For more information regarding College of St. Mary, please visit the university’s website at www.csm.edu. Schemmer Welcomes David J. Petrocchi, P.E.As Water and Wastewater Engineering Group Manager
 The Schemmer Associates Inc. (Schemmer) recently announced that David J. Petrocchi, P.E., has joined the firm as a senior professional engineer and will lead Schemmer’s water and wastewater engineering group out of the Council Bluffs, Iowa office.
Petrocchi is a licensed professional engineer in Nebraska, and has 40 years of experience as a consulting engineer, an interim city engineer and a city wastewater treatment plant manager and environmental programs manager. His experience includes work in both public and private industries ranging from residential and commercial land development projects to complex wastewater treatment facilites to stormawater permits, sanitary sewer and water distribution and sewer outflow programs. At Schemmer, Petrocchi will lead the water/wastewater group in Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha and Lincoln, Neb.
He holds a bachelor of science in biology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a master of science in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has received national and state awards for operational excellence and safety.
For more information regarding The Schemmer Associates, Inc., please go to
www.schemmer.com.
  D.C. Attorney Don Kleine is sworn in. D.C. Treasurer John Ewing takes his oath. When Swearing an Oath is a Good Thing…
By Lorraine Boyd
The Daily Record
Don Kleine’s oath of office as Douglas County Attorney drew chuckles from the crowd in the Legislative Chambers as Douglas County Judge Derek Vaughn, a former assistant Douglas County attorney, asked him to raise his right hand. Kleine recently underwent shoulder surgery and could only raise his hand waist-high. Nevertheless, the oath was administered without further incident.
Next up was Douglas County Treasurer John Ewing, who chose an old friend, Douglas County Juvenile Court Judge Vernon Daniels, to administer his oath.
Both men, who had been re-elected, gave thoughtful, sometimes moving, sometimes humorous remarks before inviting those present to their receptions. Ewing, who was celebrating his 77th birthday Tuesday, acknowledged his mother and his father. He saluted his wife, Viv, and his daughter, Alexandria, who recently became the director of communications for the Open Door Mission.
Kleine introduced his family, including his mother, wife, sister, sons and daughter. Like Ewing, he also acknowledged his staff for their dedication and professionalism.
Chief Deputy Treasurer Tim Cavanaugh was also sworn in by Judge Daniels. 
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| Judge Julie A. Martin Sworn In
To Serve On Bench of Nebraska
Workers’ Compensation Court  Judge Julie A. Martin was recently sworn in to serve on the bench of the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court. Judge Laureen Van Norman administered the oath of office.
Governor Dave Heineman appointed Judge Martin on December 23, 2015, following the resignation of Judge Michael K. High on November 30, 2014. The Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court is composed of seven judges who are initially appointed by the governor. A judge is then subject to a retention vote by the electorate three years after his or her appointment and every six years thereafter.
From 2004 until her appointment to the bench, Judge Martin worked as an attorney for Nolan, Olson & Stryker. Prior to that, she worked as an attorney for Rehm, Bennett & Moore. At these law firms, she has served with an emphasis on workers’ compensation, personal injury, and wrongful death.
Judge Martin is a member of the State Bar Associations of Nebraska and Iowa, the United States District Court for the State of Nebraska and Southern District of Iowa. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1991 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and her earned juris doctorate from Creighton University School of Law in 1994. Judge Martin graduated cum laude from both schools.
Judge Martin volunteers in the Omaha community through her church, including serving communion to the homebound and serving meals in local shelters. She is also active in her children’s youth sports activities, serving as coach and team manager.
  Carlson & Burnett, LLP recently announced that Rich Hitz has joined the firm as a partner. For fifteen years, Hitz has represented individuals and families in all types of nursing home abuse and neglect, medical malpractice, wrongful death, personal injury and workers compensation lawsuits throughout Nebraska. Hitz will strengthen Carlson & Burnett’s continued commitment to protecting and vindicating the rights of people who are injured by the negligence of others.
Hitz earned his juris doctorate from the University Of Nebraska College of Law. He is an active member of the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys, the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorney’s Governing Board and Political Action Committee. Hitz is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a member of the American Association for Justice, the AAJ’s Nursing Home Litigation Group, the Nebraska State Bar Association and the Omaha and Sarpy County Bar Associations. Hitz is a veteran and lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
For more information regarding Carlson & Burnett, please go to the firm’s website at www.carlsonburnett.com. Blackford Opens Blackford Law LLC  Attorney Brian J. Blackford has opened Blackford Law LLC, an immigration law practice specializing in removal/deportation defense and family-based immigration. The law office is located at 503 S. 36th St. in midtown Omaha.
Blackford has years of experience navigating the immigration system on behalf of his clients in the areas of cancellation of removal, asylum, adjustment of status, NACARA, TPS, consular processing, VAWA, U-Visas, DACA, SIJS, religious worker visas, citizenship, and waivers of inadmissibility. He has successfully argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Blackford is a passionate advocate for immigrant rights who is active in the local and national levels of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), is a member of the Nebraska State Bar Association’s House of Delegates and Immigration Law Section Executive Committee, and is on the Board of Directors for the Southern Sudan Community Association in Omaha. It is Blackford’s intention for Blackford Law to have a positive impact on the immigrant community through successful courtroom advocacy and community involvement and activism.
Blackford received his juris doctorate from Creighton University School of Law in 2008, where he earned certificates of concentration in international and comparative law, litigation, and criminal law.
For more information regarding Blackford Law, please go to BlackfordLawLLC.com. You may also contact Brian by phone at 402.933.4090 or via email Brian@BlackfordLawLLC.com. Adams & Sullivan Adds Miller as Attorney  Adams & Sullivan, P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys at Law, has expanded its legal team with the addition of attorney Molly J. Miller.
Originally from LeMars, Iowa, Miller is relocating to the Omaha area after ten years with Amoni Law Offices, P.C. in Aurora, Ill., where she worked as an associate attorney. A graduate of Northern Illinois University College of Law in DeKalb, Ill., she earned her undergraduate degree from Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa.
“Adding Molly to our firm will allow us to expand our expertise in the areas of personal injury law and litigation,” said Patrick J. Sullivan. “The focus of her background will help support our business clients specifically, but also strengthen our core client services and further expand our versatility.”
Adams & Sullivan Law and its predecessors have been a fixture in the Greater Omaha legal community since 1951. The firm has legal expertise in real estate matters, business planning from formation to complex business transactions, estate planning, probate and trust law, municipal and school law, Public Service Commission and Nebraska State Administrative issues, criminal defense, family law and personal injury claims after accidents caused by negligence. The firm’s diverse clientele includes families, businesses, school districts and sanitary improvement districts.
Additional information about Adams & Sullivan Law can be found at the company’s website, www.adamsandsullivan.com. Lamson, Dugan & Murray Names Grams Partner  Lamson, Dugan & Murray, LLP recently announced that Jason W. Grams has been named a partner of the firm. Grams’ practice is focused on complex lititgation, predominantly in the federal courts. He represents clients in the transportation, energy, food safety, insurance, financial and business services industries in business disputes, federal administrative and regulatory actions, environmental, employment, and general litigation, and accounting, legal and medical malpractice matters.
Grams is admitted to practice law in the state and federal courts of Nebraska and Iowa, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Nebraska State Bar Association (House of Delegates, Leadership Academy 2014), the Iowa State Bar Association and the Omaha Bar Association. Grams is the Nebraska delegate to the Eighth Circuit Federal Advisory Committee, a member of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, and president of the Robert M. Spire American Inns of Court.
Prior to joining the firm, Grams served as a law clerk to Chief Judge William Jay Riley of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and to Senior Judge Lyle E. Strom of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska. He graduated, with high distinction, from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 2007, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and Order of the Barristers, and served as executive editor of the Nebraska Law Review and member of the national moot court team. Before law school, he was a senior manager in the marketing services industry.
For more information regarding Lamson, Dugan & Murray, please visit the firm’s website at www.ldmlaw.com. Fitzgerald Schorr Ranked Best Law Firm 2015 In U.S. News and World Report and Best Lawyers
Fitzgerald, Schorr Barmettler & Brennan, PC, LLO, has been ranked again by U.S. News and World Report magazine and Best Lawyers in America, as a Tier 1 Best Law Firm for 2015.  Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, has also named Bruce D. Vosburg as “Best Lawyers Omaha Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year” for 2015. Best Lawyers designates a Lawyer of the Year in high-profile legal specialties in large legal communities. The lawyers being honored as “Lawyers of the Year” have received particularly high ratings in surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for ability, professionalism, and integrity.    Robert T. Cannella Gerald L. Friedrichsen Nick R. Taylor    Thomas G. McKeon Andrew T. Schlosser Dustin J. Kessler In addition, seven lawyers at Fitzgerald Schorr have been selected by their peers as Best Lawyers in America for 2015, and they are: Bruce D. Vosburg, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, litigation – intellectual property law, copyright law, and trademark law; Robert T. Cannella, employment law – management, labor law – management, litigation – labor and employment, education law; Gerald L. Friedrichsen, commercial litigation, product liability litigation – defendants; Nick R. Taylor, trusts and estates, litigation – trusts and estates, non-profit/charities law; Thomas G. McKeon, municipal law, employee benefits (ERISA) law; Andrew T. Schlosser, litigation – Insurance, litigation – municipal, franchise law and Dustin J. Kessler, immigration law, mortgage banking - foreclosure law, real estate law.
For more information regarding Fitzgerald Schorr, please visit the firm’s website at www.fitzlaw.com. Husch Blackwell’s Omaha Office Adds Erikson as Intellectual Property Attorney  Husch Blackwell recently welcomed associate Daan G. Erikson to its Omaha office. Erikson will concentrate his practice on intellectual property matters.
Prior to joining Husch Blackwell, Erikson served as a senior research and conference fellow at the Fordham Intellectual Property Institute in New York, where he researched and drafted memoranda, reports and summaries analyzing all areas of domestic and international intellectual property law, cases and practices.
For more information regarding Husch Blackwell, please go to the firm’s website at www.huschblackwell.com Click here for full story
Meetings & Seminars
for the legal community
______
JANUARY 30
Annual Wine and Beer Tasting
Brix @ Village Pointe
225 N 170 St, Omaha
5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
For More Information: www.omahabarassociation.com
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FEBRUARY 4
Telephone Seminar
Buying & Selling Partnership/LLC Interests:
Economic Management & Tax Issues
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
For More Information: http://ne.webcredenza.com/catalog.aspx?browse=ViewProg&catid=215
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FEBRUARY 4
Omaha Legal Professionals Association
February Board Meeting (All Members Welcome)
Erickson | Sederstrom
Dinner – 5:30 p.m.; Meeting – 6:00 p.m.
For More Information: https://olpa.wildapricot.org
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FEBRUARY 9
The Robert M. Spire American Inn of Court
Monthly Meeting – Direct and Cross Examination
Creighton University
Harper Center Ballroom, 4th Floor
2500 California Plz, Omaha
5:30 p.m.
For More Information:
www.home.innsofcourt.org/for-members/inns/
the-robert-m-spire-american-inn-of-court.aspx
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FEBRUARY 12
Nebraska Child Support Calculator Seminar
Metro Community College
South 27th & Q Sts., Omaha
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
For More Information: www.nebar.com
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FEBRUARY 17
What You Need to Know:
The Work of The Accountability and Disclosure Commission
Hruska Law Center, First Floor Conference Room
635 S 14 St, Lincoln
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For More Information: www.nebar.com
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FEBRUARY 19
Lunch with Fenner
Harper Center Ballroom, Creighton University
2500 California Plz, Omaha
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
For More Information: www.omahabarassociation.com
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FEBRUARY 26
Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA) Board Meeting
Quarry Oaks Golf Club
16600 Quarry Oaks Drive, Ashland NE
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
For More Information: www.nebraskatrial.com
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FEBRUARY 27
Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA)
Workers’ Compensation Seminar
Scott Conference Center
6450 Pine St., Omaha
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
For More Information: www.nebraskatrial.com
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FEBRUARY 28
Nebraska Legal Professionals Association (NLPA)
Spring Seminar
Pine Lake Golf Course
6601 S 84 St, Lincoln
For More Information: www.nebraskalegalprofessionals.org |
