Black tie optional was the dress code for this year’s Barristers’ Ball, held annually. 560 registrations were received for the April 13, 2024 gala. Held at the Embassy Suites in LaVista, Nebraska, conversation among colleagues, dinner and dancing to the KC FLO band melded with fun and spirited bidding in the silent and live auctions. The whimsical evening’s theme was “An Evening In Wonderland.”

Attorney Joel M. Carney, who has been active in the Nebraska State Bar Association in leadership roles for over 20 years, was co-chair with his wife Shaini. He said, “The Barristers’ Ball is a reason to get together and raise funds for projects.”

Carney graduated from Creighton University’s School of Law and has over 20 years of experience practicing in both Nebraska and Iowa.  He is a litigation attorney with a wide range of experience in all realms of the dispute process.  Carney was president of the Young Lawyers Association, a delegate to the American Bar Association and has been affiliated with the Ball for 20 years.

He is of counsel with Goosmann Law Firm, PLC and Director of Business Development for Cashroom, a leading provider of outsourced accounting and compliance services for law firms across the United States.  Cashroom was founded in Scotland and has between 150 and 200 clients.

John Knicely, Anchor of 6 News WOWT, served as the event emcee  and the live auctioneer was S. Scott Moore, Principal, Lee and Associates and Co-Owner/Auctioneer at PartnersBid, with trips and luxury goods up for bid.

Berry Law sponsored the dinner.  Guests were served a summer salad, steak filet and Atlantic salmon with scalloped potatoes and a vegetable medley.  Dessert was a peanut butter chocolate cake and New York style cheesecake. 

The Robert M. Spire Pro Bono award was presented to Judith A. Schweikart, J.A.Schweikart, LLO, PC.  Visionary awards were presented to Audrey R. Svane of Woods Aitken LLP, Justin Daake, Daake Law Office, LLC and Susan Reff of Hightower Reff.

Event Funds Allocated

Carney explained that the Nebraska Lawyer’s Foundation is the charitable giving arm of the Nebraska State Bar Association.  Each year, the funds raised from this event benefit the Foundation, which supports the legal community, lawyers and their loved ones.

 In 2022, The Nebraska Lawyers Assistance Program assisted 68 lawyers, judges, and law students struggling with addiction, mental health, stress and other life-related problems.  The Volunteer Lawyers Project, through more than 360 volunteer attorneys, helped nearly 8,500 Nebraskans struggling to afford legal representation.  They were provided access to a lawyer, the courts and legal services that year.

The Foundation through the LSAT Prep Scholarship Program pays for the cost of an LSAT Prep Course and the LSAT exam for students applying to law school in Nebraska who demonstrate economic need.  The Rural Practice Initiative’s goal is to increase attorneys practicing in underserved rural communities.

In Character

Several guests came as Alice in Wonderland costumed characters including the Mad Hatter, White Rabbit and King and Queen of Hearts.  The real show stopper was the funds raised for charitable projects supported by the Foundation, a true fact outside the realm of Alice’s Wonderland.

$106,000 were raised for the Nebraska Lawyers Foundation.  Silent and live auctions grossed $27,000.