Biography
Professor Lenich joined the faculty of the College of Law in 1984 and taught for 36 years before retiring in 2019. Among the courses he taught were Antitrust, Appellate Advocacy, Federal Courts, Civil Procedure, and Remedies. He also served as the Coach of the College’s National Moot Court Team from 1988 to 2007, as the Faculty Advisor to the Nebraska Moot Court Board from 1994 to 2002, and as a Special Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs from 2017 to 2018.
Despite his retirement, Lenich remains active in the Bar and the University. He currently serves as the Reporter for Civil Procedure for the Nebraska Supreme Court Committee on Practice and Procedure and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lincoln Bar Association. He also serves as the Hearing Board Chair for the UNL Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance.
Lenich grew up on the South Side of Chicago, where he attended elementary and high school. More than once, however, he skipped school so that he could take in a White Sox game at Comiskey Park. After graduating from law school, Lenich practiced law with the Los Angeles firm of O’Melveny & Myers where he specialized in antitrust and energy litigation. He became a Husker fan shortly after he joined the faculty and has remained a fan (although a disappointed one) to this day.
Articles
Drafting Discovery Requests for Social Media, 27 Neb. Lawyer 13 (Jan./Feb. 2024)
The New Subpoena Statutes: Making Things Clearer and Easier, 20 Neb. Law. 37 (July/Aug. 2017)
Of Interpreters, Recordings and Objections: The 2015 Amendments to the Deposition Rules, 19 Neb. Law. (Jan/Dec 2016)
A Simple Question That Isn't So Simple: Where Do Entities Reside for Federal Venue Purposes?, 84 Miss. L.J. 253, (2014)
Substitute Service by Electronic Means, 17 Neb. Law. 27, (July/Aug 2014)
Sanctions for the Failure to Preserve Electronically Stored Information in Nebraska, 16 Neb. Law. 31, (Sept/Oct 2013)
Pleading a Claim for Relief in Nebraska: New Language for an Old Standard, 14 Neb. Law. 5, (March 2011)
Service of Process by Commercial Courier Services: It Exists But It Doesn't, 13 Neb. Law. 13, (Jan 2010)
There's No Escape: The Plaintiff's Right to Dismiss after the Submission of a Motion for Summary Judgement or a Motion to Dismiss in Nebraska, 1 Neb. L. Rev. Bull. 31, (2009)
Notice Pleading Comes to Nebraska, Part I - Pleading Claims for Relief, Neb. Law. 6, (Sept 2002)
Notice Pleading Comes to Nebraska, Part II - Responding to Claims for Relief, Neb. Law. 35, (Oct 2002)
Notice Pleading Comes to Nebraska - Part III - Odds and Ends, Neb. Law. 7, (Nov 2002)
What's So Special About Special Proceedings? Making Sense of Nebraska's Final Order Statute, 80 Neb. L. Rev. 239, (2001)
Books
Nebraska Civil Procedure (Thomson Reuters 2023)
Book Chapters
Simultaneous Recoupment in the Maryland Medical Electronic Claim Submission Market (with David I. Rosenbaum) in Measuring Market Power (Daniel Slottje ed., Elsevier Science, B.V., 2002)
Presentations
An Overview of the Proposed Changes to the Nebraska Discovery and Pleading Rules, Omaha Bar Association, Omaha, NE (February 6, 2024)
Making Final Decisions Final: The Ins and Outs of Section 25-1315, Opening of the Term Seminar, Appellate Practice Section, Nebraska State Bar Association, Lincoln, NE (August 29, 2023)
An Overview of the Expedited Civil Actions Act, Plus a Little of This and a Little of That, Nebraska County Judges 2023 Summer Conference, Kearney, NE (June 23, 2023)
The Pros and Cons of the County Court Expedited Civil Actions Act: A Practical Assessment Madison County Bar Association, Norfolk, NE (May 19, 2023); The Robert Van Pelt Inn of Court, Lincoln, NE (Jan. 12, 2022)
Polishing the Rough Edges: The Proposed Changes to the Nebraska Discovery Rules Nebraska District Judges 2023 Summer Conference, North Platte, NE (June 8, 2023); Madison County Bar Association, Norfolk, NE (May 19, 2023); Lincoln Bar Association, Lincoln, NE (Feb. 9, 2023).
An Overview of the Expedited Civil Actions Act, Plus a Little of This and a Little of That Nebraska County Judges 2023 Summer Conference, Kearney, NE (June 23, 2023).
An Overview of the Proposed Rules for the Expedited Civil Actions Act, Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys Seminar, Omaha, NE (December 3, 2021)
An Expedited Discussion of the Expedited Civil Actions Act, 2021 Nebraska State Bar Association Annual Meeting, La Vista, NE (October 13, 2021)
More than Meets the Eye, Appellate Court Awards of Attorney’s Fees, Nebraska Appellate Judges’ Spring Education Meeting, (April 23, 2021)
Did the Collateral Order Doctrine Die Without Leaving Any Next of Kin?, Nebraska Defense Counsel Association Annual Seminar, Lincoln NE (June 1, 2018)
The New Subpoena Statutes, 2017 Nebraska State Bar Association Meeting, Lincoln, NE (October 13, 2017)
Is the Collateral Order Doctrine Really Dead?, Appellate Practice Section Seminar, 2017 Nebraska State Bar Association Meeting, Lincoln, NE (October 11, 2017)
Some Thoughts on Appeals and Special Proceedings, Nebraska Appellate Judges’ Spring Education Meeting, Lincoln, NE (April 20, 2017)
The 2015 Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: How Much Has Really Changed? Lincoln Bar Association Clinic, Lincoln, NE (February 9, 2017)
A Comparison of the Federal and Nebraska Discovery Rules, Nebraska Appellate Judges’ Spring Education Meeting, La Vista, NE (May 3, 2016)
The 2015 Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Nebraska Chapter of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA), Lincoln, NE (February 18, 2015)
New Developments in Personal Jurisdiction and Service of Process, Lincoln Bar Association Clinic, Lincoln, NE (March 20, 2014)
Booting Up the Discovery Rules: An Overview of Electronic Discovery Issues, Nebraska County Judges’ Summer Education Meeting, Nebraska City, NE (June 26, 2013)
Current Issues: Personal Jurisdiction, Service and the Internet, Nebraska Appellate Judges’ Spring Education Meeting, Omaha, NE (May 17, 2012)
The Plausibility Pleading Standard in Nebraska, Nebraska Defense Counsel Annual Seminar, Lincoln, NE (May 13, 2011)
Big Topics, Shrinking Credits, AALS 1010 Mid-Year Meeting, Workshop on Civil Procedure, New York, NY (June 12, 2010)
Now You See It, Now You Don’t: An Overview of Vacating Civil Judgments in Nebraska, Lincoln Bar Association Clinic, Lincoln, NE (February 11, 2010)
Using Actual Cases to Teach Appellate Advocacy, Conference on New Frontiers in Teaching and Learning, Suffolk University School of Law, Boston, MA (June 9, 2007)
Reflections on Ireland and Irish Law, Lincoln Bar Association Clinic, Lincoln, NE (March 13, 2006)
Appellate Refresher Course for Attorneys, NCLE Program on Appellate Practice in Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (April 16, 2004)
The New Nebraska Rules of Practice and Pleading, Woods and Aitken Litigation Department, Lincoln, NE (December 16, 2002)
You Can Teach Old Lawyers New Tricks: New Pleading Requirements, Lincoln Bar Association Clinic, Lincoln, NE (November 18, 2002)
Philosophical Underpinnings of the New Rules of Pleading, Nebraska Judicial Branch Education Program on Notice Pleading and Discovery, Omaha, NE (October 16, 2002)
Notice Pleading, Annual Institute on the Survey of Nebraska Law, Lincoln, NE (August 31, 2002)
Dealing with Improper or Abrasive Deposition Practices, Federal Practice Committee Continuing Legal Education Program, Omaha, NE (July 28, 2000)
Other
- Date: Monday, July 11, 2022
Awards
James V. Griesen Exemplary Service to Students Award 2020
College Award for Distinguished Teaching 2019
First-Year Professor of the Year 2019, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2009
Nebraska State Bar Foundation Award for Outstanding Legal Educator 2011
Nebraska State Bar Association Service Award of Special Merit 2008
College of Law Alumni Council Distinguished Faculty Award 2008
Media
New Civil Trials Act Seeks to Expedite Civil Litigation, The Daily Record, November 5, 2021
In Sidney, former Cabela’s employees open online stores, competing with their old employer Omaha World-Herald, February 9, 2019
Amid FTC concerns, Conagra's planned sale of Wesson Oil to J.M. Smucker is in doubt, Omaha World Herald, March 6, 2018
Why Raising Filing Fees to Protect Debtors is a Bad Idea Lincoln Journal Star, May 16, 2016
Clerk refuses to issue marriage licenses to gays Lincoln Journal Star, March 2, 2015
Kofoed ordered to pay $6.5M to 2 men wrongly jailed after '06 slayings Omaha World-Herald, April 2, 2014
Heineman building far-reaching judicial legacy Lincoln Journal Star, August 11, 2013
Proposed ConAgra deal draws scrutiny Omaha World-Herald, July 9, 2013
Other
Fellow, Nebraska State Bar Foundation
Visiting Professor, Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, FL, 2010
Visiting Professor, Vytautus Magnus University School of Law, Kaunas, Lithuania, 2002
Education
- J.D., summa cum laude, 1980, Northwestern University School of Law
- Order of the Coif, 1980
- B.A., with Honors and Distinction, 1977, University of Illinois, Chicago Circle
Areas of Expertise
Appointments
- Professor of Law Emeritus, 2019
- Special Assistant to the Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, 2017
- Professor of Law, 2002
- Associate Dean, 1988-1990
- Associate Professor of Law, 1988
- Assistant Professor of Law, 1984