Practice Areas
Committed to Quality Representation
Lamson Dugan & Murray is committed to offering quality representation in Litigation and Corporate matters. Our depth of practice areas enables our clients to receive the best in responsive, cost-effective, specialized representation.
Administrative Proceedings
We handle administrative proceedings for a variety of government agencies at the local, state and federal levels of government. Well versed in administrative regulations, our attorneys are capable of initiating, preparing and litigating claims in most administrative forums.
Agricultural Law
Our attorneys cover the entire field of agricultural law from agribusiness structuring to litigating on behalf of farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses and insurance companies. We offer experienced representation in all agricultural matters including: land use disputes, water rights, lease agreements, pesticide contamination, crop insurance and disaster assistance, estate and succession planning, employment law, and environmental and regulatory compliance.
Alternative Dispute Resolution – Arbitration/Mediation
We have lawyers well experienced in arbitration and mediations. Arbitration and mediation can be preferable to litigation as methods of dispute resolution because of the increasing cost and significant risks of litigation. We work with clients to explore all dispute resolution options to pursue the methods that will give the client the most cost-effective, expedient conclusion with the best possible results.
Appellate Law
Appellate practice is multi-faceted, and involves different skills and strategic considerations than trial practice. Appellate practitioners, however, can play a role at the trial court level by working with the trial team to ensure that appealable issues are raised and preserved at the trial court level. Once the trial is over, appellate counsel will undertake the necessary steps to initiate the appeal of an adverse ruling or outcome, and define appeals of questionable outcomes.
Business Counseling
We provide counsel for both for-profit and not-for–profit business entities. Our attorneys are experienced in a wide range of industries, fields, and professions, enabling us to offer a broad variety of representation in areas from commercial law to trust and estates.
Business Failures, Bankruptcy, Creditors Rights & Insurance Insolvencies
We offer counsel for many kinds of insolvency cases. We have extensive experience with the federal bankruptcy code as it applies to businesses. Debtors, creditors, creditors’ committees and trustees are all represented by Lamson, Dugan & Murray. Our attorneys also occasionally serve as Chapter 11 trustees at the request of the creditors and creditors’ committees. We are experienced in representing insurance company receivers as well as representing creditors in claims against insolvent insurers.
Business Succession Planning
We create customized solutions to address the unique circumstances of each client on a wide variety of business succession planning needs. These needs include buy-sell agreements, family business succession planning, as well as grooming of management and finding outside management and incentives for young business owners. For every client, we work to create succession plans that help the client’s business flourish.
Commercial/Business Litigation
We have extensive experience in a broad array of commercial litigation areas, from fraud to complex bankruptcy litigation to lender liability. Our attorneys can take on most any commercial conflict such as contract disputes and breach of contract.
Construction Law
We are well versed in all aspects of the construction process from the perspective of owners, developers, contractors and lenders. Our attorneys have extensive experience dealing with complex construction claims and disputes involving litigation, arbitration and mediation. We are experienced in drafting and negotiating construction contracts on behalf of owners, sureties, architects, contractors, material suppliers, subcontractors, and have assisted with liens and bond claims. We also have experience in mechanic and other liens.
Employment Law
The firm assists clients in employment matters on behalf of employers, employees and insurance companies. Our experience includes consulting and litigation on matters pertaining to wrongful termination, sexual harassment, civil rights violations and contractor disputes. We advise clients in the development and implementation of programs and practices that reduce the possibility of litigation. When litigation cannot be avoided, our experienced employment attorneys defend our clients in a cost-effective manner.
Estates & Trusts
Our attorneys provide counsel to help clients clarify their trust and estate planning goals and create plans to make them happen. The trust and estate planning services include preparation of wills, lifetime plans, guardianship, sophisticated estate and gift tax planning techniques and much more. We also handle litigation of claims related to trusts, estates, and probate.
Insurance Coverage
LDM attorneys draw upon their knowledge and experience to provide coverage interpretation and representation to major life, property, and casualty insurers. We also assist risk management and claims management service providers, and handle matters involving multiple parties, coverage lines, and policies. Our attorneys have worked to resolve complex issues relating to primary, umbrella, and excess coverage. We also provide aggressive representation in bad faith, coverage, and proceeds disputes.
Insurance Defense
In addition to providing a broad range of insurance regulation services, we represent many diverse insurance clients and their insureds in insurance litigation cases, including bad faiths claims. Our attorneys have a great depth of experience in representing many diverse insurance clients. We also provide counsel for insurance and reinsurance arbitrations, and have served as members of arbitration panels.
Insurance Regulatory
Our active insurance regulation practice represents insurers, regulators, reinsurers and creditors at the state level and before the NAIC. Our firm has experience representing the interests of insurers, reinsurers and other insurance-related entities in their regulatory, transactional and corporate matters. We advise clients on a national and international level. We provide counsel for insurance and reinsurance arbitrations and have served as members of arbitration panels.
Litigation
Our attorneys pride themselves on capably representing clients in a wide variety of litigation matters. Many legal disputes often involve going to court, but also include Administrative Proceedings and Arbitrations. The firm has extensive experience in the areas of Professional Liability, Railroad Law, Products Liability, Estate and Probate contests, and commercial disputes, among many others. We use advanced investigative techniques, computer technology, and make extensive use of experienced paralegals.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Our attorneys handle mergers and acquisitions of all sizes and have assisted clients on multimillion dollar accounts to relatively modest amounts. Representation in this area includes negotiation and closing of asset purchase, stock purchase, tax-free reorganization transactions, contracting issues related to structure and terms of the transaction, and sophisticated tax planning to defer or enhance after-tax results. We are also versed in compliance for Hart-Scott Rodino Act and Federal Reserve, and other federal, state and local agencies.
Municipal Law
We represent municipal and county level government units of all sizes, as well as school boards, housing authorities, and quasi-governmental entities with a focus on labor and employment law, administrative law, zoning and variance disputes, law enforcement defense, and other tort defense of governmental entities. Our attorneys are also capable of reviewing and drafting internal department policies and procedures including use of force and vehicle pursuit policies.
Professional Liability
Our well-seasoned team of professional liability attorneys defends professional negligence claims. They have a great deal of experience in the representation of health care personnel, attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, architects, and engineers.
Railroad Law
Over the past 29 years, our lawyers have ridden trains, written contracts, thrown switches, learned operating rules, walked yards and rights of ways, and defended the railroad practice and employees. We have defended railroads in strict liability hand brake cases and catastrophic crossing accidents. We have collected property damage under the Carmack Amendment and enforced provisions in additional insured clauses in vendors’ insurance policies.
Real Estate
We represent both individuals and companies for residential, commercial and industrial properties, as well as borrowers and lenders. Our counsel can handle all legal phases of the acquisition, financing and development of real estate property.
Risk Management and Prevention
The most effective way to handle liability and administrative costs is to avoid them altogether. We provide our clients guidance on a regular basis about how to reduce the risk of litigation. Our attorneys have worked on risk management with clients with various needs, such as hospital medical staffs, corporate directors and officers, and insurance companies. We also offer preventative legal audits, risk management assessments and litigation prevention training.
Tax Planning
Our attorneys offer counsel on a wide range of taxation matters, including tax planning for individuals, corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies. We assist clients with qualification, planning and operation of tax-exempt organizations and trial and appellate practice in Nebraska and federal courts.
Tax Litigation
Our attorneys represent a wide range of clients on tax litigation matters. These matters include income tax, sales tax, property tax, and tax exempt status in states throughout the country. We focus on resolving tax controversies in and out of court. We also perform tax counseling on complex planning issues and tax litigation.
Torts and Product Liability
We regularly act as a defense counsel in a variety of tort claims and provide defense for companies in product liability cases and personal injury cases. On a limited basis, we also represent plaintiffs in auto liability, premises liability, product liability and insurance coverage disputes.
Toxic Tort Law
The Toxic Tort team represents manufacturers, distributors, and transporters of chemicals, employers whose employees allege illness as a result of toxic exposure, and owners and managers of property on which chemicals are used or stored, in complex and mass tort litigation.
Workers’ Compensation Law
Several of our attorneys specialize in workers’ compensation law and regularly handle these matters at both the trial and appellate levels. Our attorneys are experienced in all aspects of workers’ compensation claims, including subrogation. They represent employers throughout the litigation process to resolve cases in an expedient, cost-effective manner, while minimizing business interruptions and guarding our clients’ best interests.