Dave A. Lopez

Dave guides clients through a wide range of complex public law litigation in state and federal courts.

Clients appreciate Dave’s experience serving in Nebraska’s Attorney General’s Office as Assistant Attorney General and as the state’s first Deputy Solicitor General; in the Civil Litigation Bureau; and in the Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Bureau. In these roles, he routinely handled high-profile matters at the trial and appellate levels in both state and federal courts including:

• Public entity and public official defense
• Section 1983 civil rights claims
• Tort claims
• Environmental enforcement
• Constitutional litigation
• Public records disputes

Dave maintains a robust appellate practice, counseling clients through all stages of appeals including briefing and oral argument. He has argued more than 20 civil appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the Nebraska Supreme Court and the Nebraska Court of Appeals, obtaining favorable results in the overwhelming majority of those cases. He has a unique perspective on the importance of strategic amicus curiae support in the appellate process, having advised the Nebraska Attorney General on the state’s amicus participation and authorship in courts across the country.

He understands how regulatory agencies think – having helped develop and implement policy and guide governmental regulatory activities – and offers this insight to clients as they proactively approach compliance or navigate investigations.