Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P.

Cline Williams provides a multiplicity of immigration legal services to individuals and employers, and specializes in employment based immigration for university and healthcare institutions. We assist clients with the non-immigrant and immigrant visa services for faculty, fellows, residents, research scientists and other employees. Our immigration services for both employers and individuals include but are not limited to:

• Extraordinary Ability Petitions
• Outstanding Researcher/Professor Petitions
• National Interest Waivers
• J-1 Waivers
• PERM Labor Certification
• H-1B Sponsorship

Cline Williams also represents religious institutions seeking to sponsor qualifying religious workers and regularly assists clients with permanent residency and naturalization. Cline Williams also provides legal services related to all aspects of family based immigration.

Cline Williams advises clients in structuring, negotiating and completing the purchase and sale of businesses in a variety of industries.  Cline Williams lawyers’ past experience includes transactions involving the following:  banks, bank holding companies and other financial service providers; health care providers; securities brokers and investment advisers; dealerships and franchised businesses; agricultural and manufacturing businesses; insurance agencies; professional medical, dental, legal, accounting and architectural practices; trucking and transportation companies; construction companies; lumber yards; restaurants and other food service providers; travel agencies; and other retail sales and service businesses. Our experience in this practice area includes a full range of transactions, including:

• Asset purchases
• Stock purchases and redemptions
• Mergers
• Going private transactions
• Leveraged buy-outs
• Joint ventures
• Minority investments
• Tender offers

Cline Williams offers employers a single point of entry for help in all areas of labor and employment law.  Cline Williams lawyers emphasize compliance and planning to prevent or minimize legal exposure.  We regularly represent private and public employers of all sizes, including a broad range of businesses, educational institutions and health care providers. In addition, we advise high level executives concerning employment issues. Our services include:

• Preparation and review of personnel policies and employee handbooks
• Preparation and review of employment agreements, including non-compete, non-solicitation, confidentiality/non-disclosure, and severance agreements
• Advice and defense of claims concerning the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, wage and hour, OSHA and the WARN Act
• Management representation in union organization efforts and collective bargaining, advice regarding union avoidance strategies and representation in labor arbitrations in the private and public sectors
• Management representation in connection with petitions or charges under the National Labor Relations Act, and Nebraska Industrial Relations Act, before the National Labor Relations Board and the Nebraska Commission of  Industrial Relations
• Teacher terminations, workplace investigations and wage-hour audits

Cline Williams is the only Nebraska member of the Employment Law Alliance, the largest network of lawyers distinguished for practice in labor and employment law. The Employment Law Alliance provides our lawyers a powerful legal resource to best serve our clients facing national and global employment issues. The Employment Law Alliance has more than 3,000 lawyers in all 50 states of the United States, every Canadian province, and more than 120 countries in ensure legal compliance in other jurisdictions.

Individuals and businesses recognize the value of intellectual property they develop - as well as the importance of protecting it. Cline Williams handles a broad range of matters relating  to intellectual property. Cline Williams serves a wide range of clients with intellectual property matters, including colleges and universities, health care institutions, bio, life and veterinary science companies, software and web development companies, startups, authors and publishers.  These matters include:

• Technology transfers from colleges and universities
• Trademark clearance and state and/or federal trademark registration
• Preparing and implementing policies and agreements to protect trade secrets and proprietary information
• Copyright clearance, registration, licensing and transfer of copyrights on the various works subject to copyright including books, film, multimedia, music, artwork and computer software
• Reviewing, preparing and negotiating agreements for the commercialization of trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and patents
• Website development, hosting and related contracts
• Negotiating and drafting publishing agreements for musicians, authors, film producers and software developers

Increasing regulation at all levels of government often impacts the rights and restrictions on the use of real estate -- as well as the potential for risk. Cline Williams understands these problems and we have the experience to guide you toward the best solutions.  Our services encompass most real estate transactions, environmental issues, and land use planning and development.   

• Preparation, negotiation and review of purchase agreements, options, commercial leases and easements
• Land development and land use matters, including zoning, use permits, subdivision and development agreements with local governments
• Affordable housing, including low-income housing tax credit project development and financing and syndication of affordable housing projects
• Community development involving tax increment financing
• New Markets Tax Credit financing of real estate development
• Environmental audits, compliance and voluntary cleanup of Brownfield sites
• Agricultural projects, including selling and leasing agricultural real estate
• Property tax appeals and protests

Applying the most sophisticated wealth strategies, Cline Williams' lawyers are able to individually tailor the firm’s services to each client's short and long-term goals, personal preferences and vision for the future. Cline Williams’ clients consist of entrepreneurs, professionals and many of the state's civic and business leaders.  We have extensive experience and an in-depth working knowledge of applicable tax and other federal and state laws, which enable us to respond to the special needs and concerns of our clients. Our services include:

• Preparation and review of wills, revocable living trusts, and financial and health care powers of attorney
• Estate tax planning with credit shelter and marital trusts or use of portability to maximize estate tax exemptions
• Family wealth transfers, including "dynasty" trusts, "incentive" and social responsibility trusts
• Lifetime gifting, including irrevocable life insurance trusts, annual exclusion gifts, education trusts and Crummey trusts
• Family charitable foundations and charitable gifting programs
• Business organization and succession planning
• Retirement and executive compensation planning
• Probate and post-mortem tax and family planning
• Guardianships and conservatorships
• Elder law, including Medicaid planning