Sheila is an involved member of the firm’s litigation practice group, specializing in commercial litigation, estate litigation, and appellate practice. Her professionalism and devotion to her clients is well established. Sheila prides herself on staying on the cutting edge of legal developments, and she excels in the courtroom environment.
Sheila Bentzen
Legal Assistant
Practice Areas
Education/Admissions
Professional/Community
Successes
Media
Education/Admissions
Education
- University of Nebraska, B.A., with highest distinction, 2009
- University of Iowa College of Law, J.D., with highest distinction, 2012
- Order of the Coif
- Senior Articles Editor, Iowa Law Review
Admissions
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- U.S. District Court (D. Neb.)
- U.S. Court of Appeals (8th Circuit)
Professional/Community
- Great Plains Super Lawyers, 2017 and 2018 Rising Star
- Nebraska State Bar Association, Member
- Lincoln Bar Association, Member
- Robert Van Pelt American Inn of Court, Member
- Defense Research Institute, Member
- CASA for Lancaster County, Member Board of Directors
- Sheridan Child Development Center, Member Board of Directors
- University of Nebraska College of Law, Adjunct Professor of Legal Research and Writing
- Ashland City Council, Former City Council Member
Successes
- Rasby v. Pillen, ____ F.3d ____, 2018 WL 4654718 (8th Cir. 2018) (successfully upheld grant of summary judgment in favor of client in complex commercial action involving claims of duress, fraudulent inducement, and breach of fiduciary duty)
- Stanko v. Bosselman Enterprises, 732 Fed. Appx. 484 (8th Cir. 2018) (successfully upheld grant of motion to dismiss in in favor of client in first amendment and civil rights action)
- In re Wilson, 300 Neb. 455, 915 N.W.2d 50 (2018) (secured favorable grant of Petition for Further Review in breach of trust and removal action)
- Lincoln Composites, Inc. v. Firetrace USA, LLC, 825 F.3d 453 (8th Cir. 2016) (successfully upheld $900,00 jury verdict obtained in favor of client in breach of warranty and breach of contract lawsuit)
- Strode v. City of Ashland, Nebraska, 295 Neb. 44, 886 N.W.2d 293 (2016) (successfully upheld grant of summary judgment in favor of client on inverse condemnation and takings claims)
- Harrington v. Hall County Board of Supervisors, et. al., No. 4:15-cv-3052, 2016 WL 1274534 (D. Neb. 2016) (prevailed on motion to dismiss filed on behalf of nonprofit entities sued for claims under First Amendment and Establishment Clause, antitrust violations, defamation, and tortious interference with business relationships)
- Zornes v. Zornes, 292 Neb. 271, 872 N.W.2d 571 (2015) (secured reversal of trial court decision related to attempt partition a secured instrument in violation of the Uniform Commercial Code)
- Lambert Vet Supply, LLC v. Martin, No. 4:14-cv-3129, 2015 WL 1470434 (D. Neb. 2015) (successfully defeated motion to dismiss and motion for costs and fees grounded in novel pleading and notice requirements arising out of Uniform Commercial Code)
- In re Estate of Greb, 288 Neb. 362, 848 N.W.2d 611 (2014) (successfully upheld personal representative’s proposed distribution of estate assets in complex estate dispute)
Media
- Author: Know the Fundamentals: Top 5 Tips for an Effective Appellate Practice, The Nebraska Lawyer (September/October 2016)
- Author: Practical Tips for Litigating Contract Disputes under the Uniform Commercial Code, Nebraska Defense Counsel Newsletter (2015)
- Author: The De Facto Merger Doctrine Revisited, 62 Drake L. Rev. 91 (2013)
- Author: What’s mine is yours…sometimes? Solving the Puzzle of Nebraska’s Approach to Allocation of Income and Appreciation from Separate Nonmarital Property, 47 Creighton L. Rev. 37 (2013)
- Author: Mapping the Forms of Expressive Association, 40 Pepperdine L. Rev. 23 (2012) (with R. Bezanson and C.M. Judd)
- Author: Safe for Work? Analyzing the Supreme Court’s Standard of Privacy for Government Employees in Light of City of Ontario v. Quon, 97 Iowa L. Rev. 1282 (2012)