Legal News

District Court Judge Robert Otte To Retire End Of November

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/16/2022 - 3:00am

Hon. Robert R. Otte, District Judge for the 3rd Judicial District, is retiring November 27, 2022. Otte serves as a judge of the Lancaster County Veterans Treatment Court in addition to presiding full-time on the district court bench in Lincoln.

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Lawyers Seek Justice For Nebraska State Ward Whose Legs Were Amputated After Being Jailed

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/16/2022 - 2:00am

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA — Kevin Pittillo was delirious, not wearing a shirt or jeans and claiming that he was a former KGB agent from Russia or a current member of the U.S. military, when he was hauled to the Pottawattamie County Jail in July 2018.

His offense: disturbing the peace.

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Reimagining The OCI Process: What We Learned From The Pandemic

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/09/2022 - 5:00am

On-campus interviews have long been a staple of law firm recruiting. But when the pandemic hit, law firms, like everyone else, had to adapt by taking this time-honored tradition virtual—in many cases with great success.

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Omaha District Judges Sit With Nebraska Supreme Court

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/09/2022 - 3:00am

From left: Justice Jonathan Papik, Justice Stephanie Stacy, Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman, Judge Timothy Burns, Justice William Cassel, Justice Jeff Funke, and Judge Shelly Stratman. Arguing before the Court is attorney James D. Smith. Recording Court arguments is Allyson Stewart. (Nebraska Public Media)

Nebraska District Court Judges Shelly R. Stratman and Timothy P. Burns of Omaha, Nebraska, were invited to sit with the Nebraska Supreme Court on September 1, 2022.

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True Crime Entertainment Like The Teacher’s Pet Can Shine A Light On Cold Cases - But Does It Help Or Hinder Justice Being Served?

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/09/2022 - 2:00am

Listeners of the true crime podcast Teacher’s Pet were vindicated last Tuesday when 74-year-old Chris Dawson was found guilty of murdering his wife Lynette in Sydney nearly 40 years ago.

Dawson was convicted based on overwhelming circumstantial evidence in a judge-only trial.

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Nebraska State Bar Association Receives 2022 ABA Harrison Tweed Award

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/02/2022 - 5:00am

Named for an outstanding leader in the promotion of free legal services to the poor, the Harrison Tweed Award was created in 1956 to recognize the extraordinary achievements of state and local bar associations that develop or significantly expand projects or programs to increase access to civil legal services to persons living in poverty or criminal defense services to indigents. The Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA) was nominated for its work coordinating the Tenant Assistance Project and expansion of that progr

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As Teens Wait For Work, Ag Firms Turn To Guest Workers To Tend To Midwest Cornfields

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/02/2022 - 4:00am

Lynn Lief’s family ran a detasseling business for over 40 years in southeast Nebraska. At its height, Lief’s business employed up to 500 area teenagers and detasseled nearly 2,700 acres for Syngenta and Bayer. (Courtesy Lynn Lief)

Over time, Lynn Lief found herself with less and less work to offer to teenagers.

For more than 40 years, Lief and her family employed up to 500 middle and high schoolers to detassel corn in July and August. Based in York, Nebraska, she ran buses to pick up teens in neighboring Seward and all the way to Lincoln one hour away.

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ABA Joins NASS And NASED To Continue To Mobilize Lawyers As Poll Workers For Upcoming Elections

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/02/2022 - 2:00am

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2022 — The American Bar Association is collaborating with the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) to once again issue a call aimed at mobilizing lawyers to assist as poll workers for the upcoming 2022 election. The Poll Worker, Esq. Initiative encourages lawyers, law students and other legal professionals to assist in upcoming elections by serving as poll workers.

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Nebraska Board Of Pardons Will Hear Earnest Jackson’s Case On Sept. 19

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/02/2022 - 1:00am

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Board of Pardons meeting Sept. 19 may be another opportunity for freedom for Earnest Jackson.

Jackson, 40, has served more than 20 years at the Nebraska State Penitentiary after being convicted of first-degree murder. Jackson went through two trials and will not be eligible for parole until 2029 — all for a killing that another man has confessed to.

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Fighting Crime Like Batman With A Bad Back

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 08/26/2022 - 5:00am

Chris McMahon isn’t your typical Deputy County Attorney. He recently graduated from law school and became a Deputy County Attorney. But he didn’t begin pursuing his law degree at Creighton University until he was 45 years old – a couple of decades after graduating with his bachelors’ degree from Midlands University. He jokes that he’s a long-term planner.