The Omaha Bar Association announced that Mike Mullin has been awarded the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award. The prestigious award was initiated at the 2001 Law Day and is only given to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the legal profession.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is not an annual award, and the criteria for the award is strict. It includes four main areas of consideration: exemplary service to the profession, support and service to the Omaha Bar Association, innovative contributions to improving justice, and longstanding commitment to mentoring in the law.

Mike Mullin, a longtime trial lawyer, has made a significant impact on the legal profession in Omaha. His father was also a trial lawyer, and Mullin grew up in a family of lawyers. From an early age, Mullin was exposed to the law and would often discuss his father’s cases with his siblings around the dinner table.

Mullin attended Notre Dame for college and then returned to Creighton Law School, where he was able to intern as a clerk with his father’s law firm during his studies. This upbringing was a full immersion into everything law, and Mullin is grateful for it.

After completing law school, Mullin became a trial lawyer and practiced for over two decades. He loved going to the courtroom and trying cases and won many jury trials during his career. However, he also saw how litigation affected his clients emotionally and began to wonder if there was a better way to resolve disputes.

In 1991, Mullin was introduced to mediation when an attorney proposed mediating a case he was handling. He recommended it to his client, even though he knew little about it. The experience was eye-opening for Mullin, and he realized that mediation could be a better way to resolve disputes for his clients.

Mullin started to research mediation and found that it was more popular on the East and West coasts but gradually made its way to the Midwest. He began to incorporate mediation into his practice and became a mediator himself. Initially, mediation was not widely accepted by the legal community in Omaha, but over time, it has become more widely accepted due to its ease, gentleness, affordability, and speed.

Mullin’s innovative contributions to improving justice through mediation and his longstanding commitment to mentoring in the law were two of the criteria that the Omaha Bar Association considered in awarding him the Lifetime Achievement Award.

When I asked Mike about mentoring other attorneys, he told me the story of Amy Van Horn. Amy came to Mike six or seven years ago and expressed her desire to follow in his footsteps and become a mediator as well. Mullin mentored her, but humble as ever, he said she was such a go-getter that he didn’t have to do much.

Van Horn started volunteering to do small claims and court mediations for free and promoting her mediation practice by contacting attorneys in town. With her hard work and Mullin’s guidance, Van Horn quickly became a successful mediator in her own right. She and Mullin still maintain a collaborative relationship where they support each other and use each other as sounding boards for issues that arise in their practice.

Mullin himself was humbled and honored to receive the award. He said, “I could not have reached this point without the support of others and that family support, in particular, has been crucial to my success.”

Mullin expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the various people who have supported and encouraged him throughout his career. Firstly, he thanked the unknown person who nominated him for the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, the executive counsel, and Dave Sommers for approving it. Mullin also extended his gratitude to the Omaha Bar Association and the lawyers who have referred and recommended him for mediation cases from all over the country, as well as the judges who have also entrusted him with cases.

Mullin went on to acknowledge the crucial role played by his secretary, Cheryl Stelzer, who he described as always keeping her cool even in the most challenging situations. “I couldn’t have done it without her,” he said. He also expressed appreciation for the unwavering support of Kutak Rock, the law firm where he currently practices, for allowing him to transition from litigation to full-time mediation.

Last but not least, Mullin expressed his deep gratitude to his family, particularly his wife Joni, for supporting him throughout his 43-year career.

When Mike is not preparing for or attending a mediation, you can find him spending time with his wife and family, which includes four children, a couple of sons-in-laws, and four grandchildren – not to mention a host of siblings, nieces and nephews.

Mike ended his interview by expressing the hope that his Dad is watching with pride from above seeing the life and career that he has built.

We’re sure that he is, Mike.