Awards & Recognition Archive

Koley Jessen advised Boyd Metals, a metals service center that specializes in metal processing and metal distribution, in its acquisition by Russel Metals Inc.

Koley Jessen is proud to share our recognition in the 2022 Best Law Firms guide, having received 17 regional rankings overall for the Omaha metropolitan area.

With the addition of 20 attorneys so far this year, Koley Jessen is excited to share that it has surpassed 100 attorneys.

Josh Norton has been named a recipient of the M&A Advisor’s 12th Annual Emerging Leaders Awards. These awards honor the achievements of outstanding young professionals who have reached a significant level of success in mergers and acquisitions, turnaround, and financing while still under the age of 40.

Koley Jessen is pleased to announce that Best Lawyers® has listed 30 attorneys in its 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. One attorney was also named “Lawyer of the Year” and  eight were recognized as “Ones to Watch”.

Koley Jessen has grown its Corporate Department with the addition of Patrick Daly and Paige Gade. 

Koley Jessen is pleased to announce that our Private Wealth Law practice has once again received a top-tier ranking in the 2021 Chambers High Net Worth Guide.

Koley Jessen is proud to announce that Tina Struck has been selected as an Inclusive Communities’ LeadDIVERSITY Advocate.

36 Koley Jessen attorneys have been named “Top Lawyers of Omaha” for 2021 by Omaha Magazine. This recognition spans 22 different areas of law and includes the most attorneys of any Omaha firm.  

The NSBA and VLP recognized seven Nebraska law students (now alumni), including our own Associate, Taylor Hayes, through their new Outstanding Law Student Advocate Award.

Koley Jessen is pleased to announce the addition of Bowei Wan and Peter Langdon to the firm as Associates.

Koley Jessen is pleased to welcome nineteen talented law school students, representing ten different law schools, for a 12-week summer program brimming with learning, professional development, and camaraderie.

Seven practice areas and eleven attorneys were ranked by Chambers and Partners in their annual survey, Chambers USA 2021. 

Koley Jessen is pleased to announce that a transaction handled by the firm received an award at the 2021 USA M&A Atlas Awards, sponsored by the Global M&A Network.

Koley Jessen has added Mikaela Witherspoon, Chad Loomis, Craig Benson, and Cody Nickel across the Corporate, Estate Planning, and Litigation teams.

Koley Jessen is excited to announce the addition of David Winkler as a Shareholder in our Corporate Department. David focuses his practice on mergers & acquisitions, private equity, and venture capital investments.

Maureen Fulton, Ben Herbers, and Clark Youngman have been promoted to Shareholder at Koley Jessen as of January 1, 2021. This class of shareholders includes attorneys from Banking & Finance, Data Privacy & Security, and Estate & Succession Planning.

Tom Ackley was elected to a three-year term as President of the Midlands Community Foundation Board.

The M&A Advisor has named Koley Jessen their Law Firm of the Year. It is the fourth year in a row that Koley Jessen has been recognized by The M&A Advisor for mergers and acquisitions work and the third time the firm has been recognized as “Law Firm of the Year.” 

Koley Jessen is proud to share our recognition in the 2021 Best Law Firms guide, having received 18 regional rankings overall for the Metropolitan Omaha area.

Koley Jessen welcomes the addition of five attorneys to the firm. Christopher Estwick, Adam Wachal, Erin Schroeder, Tyler Keyser, and Andrew Almodova bring experience and depth across multiple departments, having previously practiced at other local, regional, and national law firms.

Koley Jessen welcomes six new associates. Raquel Boton, Kianna Moore, Jennifer Novotny, and Michael Pirnie join the Corporate Department. Gabreal Belcastro and Taylor Hayes join the Litigation Department.

Koley Jessen is pleased to announce that Comran Sharif has been selected to join Inclusive Communities’ LeadDIVERSITY program, a year-long program designed to build a network of leaders dedicated to creating localized solutions to diversity and inclusion opportunities in Nebraska. 

Koley Jessen is pleased to announce that Best Lawyers® has recognized 29 attorneys in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, including two "Lawyers of the Year." Best Lawyers has also recognized six attorneys in their inaugural "Ones to Watch" category. 

Koley Jessen has hired Justin Haugen as the Firm’s first Chief Operating Officer. Justin will provide the leadership and management necessary to ensure that the Firm has the proper people, systems, operational controls, and administrative and reporting procedures in place to effectively grow the Firm and to ensure financial strength and operating efficiency.

Koley Jessen’s Corporate/Commercial, Healthcare, Intellectual Property, Litigation: General Commercial, Real Estate, and Tax practices were recently recognized by Chambers USA 2020. Nine attorneys were also ranked individually in the publication.

For the fourth consecutive year, our Private Wealth Law practice has been ranked Band 1 by Chambers High Net Worth. The firm was one of two Nebraska firms to obtain this Band 1 ranking. 

With the addition of 14 summer associates, Koley Jessen is excited to welcome it’s largest class of law school students ever to participate in its Summer Associate Program.

Koley Jessen Shareholder Don Swanson was quoted in the Wall Street Journal article, "For Struggling Small Businesses, Bankruptcy Law Change Comes Just in Time" published on May 18, 2020.

On Monday, April 27, 2020, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a $21.2 million judgment for unfair competition, copyright infringement, breach of contract, and false advertising.

Kevin Siebert, Jennifer Woodward, and Michelle Lewis have all joined Koley Jessen as Counsel. All three attorneys have experience in in-house counsel roles, providing them a unique client perspective.

Koley Jessen has promoted four attorneys to Shareholder as of January 1, 2020. This class of shareholders includes attorneys from the Immigration; Estate, Succession, and Tax; Health Law; and Litigation practices.

Koley Jessen is pleased to announce that Brandon Hamm has been elected a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). One of 42 individuals elected internationally, Hamm joins the premiere organization for estate planning attorneys, which is comprised of only 2500 legal professionals from across the globe who are committed to enhancing the field of trust and estate law.

Koley Jessen has grown the Employment, Litigation, Corporate, and Estate and Tax teams with the hiring of 5 new attorneys.

Koley Jessen announced the next step in its long term leadership succession plan. The Firm has elected Executive Vice President Alexander J. Wolf to become President of the Firm, succeeding Michael M. Hupp in that role. Hupp will continue as Chairman of Koley Jessen’s Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group.

The M&A Advisor announced the winners of the 18th Annual M&A Advisor Awards, held in New York City. Koley Jessen was honored as a winner for the firm’s involvement in the sale of Red Giant Oil Company to HollyFrontier (NYSE: HFC). This deal was named the Corporate/Strategic Deal of the Year ($50MM–$75MM).

Koley Jessen has hired Chastin Bailey as the Director of Talent and Culture. In her role, Chastin will oversee all aspects of the firm’s talent, culture, and human resources. She will also lead the firm’s Diversity Committee as they refine and execute diversity and inclusion strategies.

“We are excited about the addition of these six associates,” says Alex Wolf, Executive Vice President of Koley Jessen. “As our clients continue to grow and succeed, we continue to grow alongside them. The addition of these associates will allow us to continue providing over-the-top client service across departments.”

Koley Jessen is pleased to announce that for the third year in a row, our Private Wealth Law practice has been ranked Band 1 by Chambers High Net Worth. The firm was one of two  firms in the state to obtain the highest ranking.

For the third year in a row the firm is a finalist for “Law Firm of the Year.” Koley Jessen was named the winner in this category for 2017 and 2018. The firm was also involved in several deals that are finalists in various categories in 2019. 

Koley Jessen has been recognized in the 2020 edition of Best Lawyers in America© with the inclusion of 22 attorneys across 20 practice areas.

Koley Jessen has added four attorneys to the corporate and tax departments. Jack Horgan, Kyle Dostal, Ryan Maloley, and Nicholas Bjornson have added depth in their respective practices and will enhance the firm’s ability to provide exceptional service.

In 2019, the Exit Planning Institute (EPI) will survey the Nebraska business community and will produce primary research called the State of Owner Readiness™ Report; the report will reveal how prepared Nebraska’s private business owners are for transitioning their businesses to next-generation owners. 

Super Lawyers, which recognizes leading attorneys by state, has announced that 14 Koley Jessen attorneys have been selected to the 2019 Great Plains Super Lawyers or 2019 Great Plains Rising Stars list.

Taylor Dieckman has been selected as an Emerging Leader by the M&A Advisor. The Emerging Leaders Awards program—originally known as the ‘40 Under 40 Awards’—were created in 2010 to recognize and celebrate the achievements of the outstanding young professionals who have reached a significant level of success while still under the age of 40.

“We are happy to welcome these nine students to Koley Jessen and look forward to getting to know each of them,” said David Goeschel, Recruiting Committee Chairperson. “Rotating through this program is a great introduction to the day-to-day practice of law; showcases our talent, culture, clients, and legal services; and ultimately provides a well-rounded picture of what our firm has to offer.”

Chambers USA recognized Koley Jessen in four practice areas, including Corporate/Commercial, Healthcare, Litigation: General Commercial, and Real Estate in their 2019 rankings publication. Eight attorneys were also ranked individually in the publication.

“Ben’s addition to the firm has increased the depth of our banking and finance practice,” says Marlon Lofgren, Chair of Koley Jessen’s Banking and Finance Practice. “Ben has several years of experience in this area and is a great addition to our team. He has been able to hit the ground running and is providing exceptional service to firm clients.”

Matt Maser has rejoined Koley Jessen as Counsel in the Firm’s Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions Practice areas. Matt was an attorney and shareholder at Koley Jessen from 1997 to September 2010 before becoming the General Counsel for Gary and Mary West’s family office, West Family Holdings, LLC. 

Two separate deals in which Koley Jessen represented the respective sellers were named “Deal of the Year” in their respective categories by the Global M&A Network for The M&A Atlas Awards in 2018.