Archived Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE 9/26/2005 Bruce B. Green, partner of Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., spoke at the Iowa State Bar Association's Government Practice Seminar in Des Moines, Iowa on recent legislative changes regarding property tax. Attendees of the school were state, county and local attorneys.

Mr. Green is licensed to practice law in the States of Iowa and Nebraska. He is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section and Administrative Law Section.

PRESS RELEASE 9/13/2005 Lonny L. Kolln II, associate with Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C. attended the 2005 Real Estate Seminar in Lincoln, Nebraska. The seminar is sponsored annually by the Nebraska State Bar Association. Topics at the seminar included tax considerations and 1031 exchanges, agricultural leases, as well as Nebraska title standards. The seminar was attended by over 160 attorneys and real estate professionals, with only three attendees being listed as being from the State of Iowa per the registrant's list.

Mr. Kolln is licensed to practice law in the States of Iowa and Nebraska. He is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association Real Estate and Title Law Sections. He is also a member of the Council Bluffs Estate Planning Council.

PRESS RELEASE 8/17/2005 Frank W. Pechacek, Jr., senior partner of Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C. , recently spoke at the annual Agricultural Credit School in Ames, Iowa on new changes in loan documentation and security agreements caused by the revisions to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. Attendees of the school were commercial bankers and examiners and lenders from Farm Credit Services and Farm Service Agency.

Mr. Pechacek serves on the Board of Directors of Southwest Iowa Educational Foundation, Inc., Mercy Hospital Foundation and Bluffs Arts Foundation. Mr. Pechacek is a frequent lecturer and speaker on topics such as estate planning and corporate/business law matters.

PRESS RELEASE 11/22/2004 Frank W. Pechacek, Jr., senior partner of Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., attended the Business Law Seminar held in Iowa City. The seminar is sponsored annually by the University of Iowa College of Law and the Business Law Section of the Iowa State Bar Association. Topics at the seminar included Iowa's new statutes on nonprofit corporations and securities law as well as drafting operating agreements for limited liability companies. The seminar was attended by over 100 attorneys.

Mr. Pechacek, is a frequent lecturer and speaker on topics such as estate planning and corporate/business law matters. He currently serves on the Business Law Section Council of the Iowa State Bar Association and on the Board of Directors of Mercy Hospital Foundation.

PRESS RELEASE 10/5/2004 Phil Willson, senior member in the law firm of Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently attended the Iowa Nonprofit Organizations Seminar held in Iowa City. The seminar dealt with the legal, tax and ethical issues of nonprofit organizations.

Mr. Willson currently serves as a member of the Council Bluffs Library Board, Joslyn Art Museum Board, and Trustee of The Opera Omaha Foundation. He received the Iowa State Bar Association Award of Merit in 1985 and the President's Award and Community Services Award in 2000.

PRESS RELEASE 1/20/2004 Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C. is pleased to announce that M. Brett Ryan has become a partner in the firm, effective January 1, 2004. Mr. Ryan is originally from Underwood, Iowa and graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in May, 1999 with high distinction. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1993 with a degree in psychology.

Brett is licensed to practice in the State of Iowa and Nebraska. He practices in the litigation area.

PRESS RELEASE 12/23/2003 Bruce B. Green, a partner in the law firm of Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently attended the 21st Annual Rural Attorneys and Agriculture Conference held in Des Moines, Iowa. The conference covered such topics as agricultural taxation developments, state and federal action on grain warehousing rules and federal programs concerning payment limitations and disaster relief.

Mr. Green has been actively involved in the formation of agricultural cooperatives and the litigation of federal crop insurance claims.

PRESS RELEASE 6/2/2003 Bruce B. Green, a partner in the law firm of Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently attended the 2003 Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, the nation's largest employment law conference. Over 1,500 people attended the conference held in St. Paul, Minnesota. The institute consisted of more than 100 sessions, and covered a wide range of employment law topics, including wage and hour issues.

PRESS RELEASE 12/10/2002 Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C. announces that Lonny L. Kolln II has joined the law firm as an associate attorney. Lonny attended Denison High School in Denison, Iowa. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Northern Iowa in May, 1999. He received his J.D. with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in May, 2002. He is a member of the American and Iowa State Bar Associations and is practicing in the areas of corporate law, real estate, estate planning, and taxation.

PRESS RELEASE 8/5/2002 Frank W. Pechacek, Jr., senior partner of Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recetly spoke at the annual Agricultural Credit School in Ames, Iowa on new changes in loan documentation and security agreements caused by the revisions to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Mr. Pechacek serves on the Board of Directors of Southwest Iowa Educational Foundation, Inc., Mercy Hospital Foundation and Bluffs Art Foundation. Mr. Pechacek is a frequent lecturer and spearker on topics such as estate planning and corporate/business law matters.

PRESS RELEASE 6/17/2002 Bruce B. Green, partner in Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C. recently attended the 19th Annual Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, the nation's biggest employment law conference. Over 1,500 people attended the conference held in St. Paul, Minnesota. The institute was comprised of more than 100 sessions, covering a wide range of employment law topices, including wage and hour issues.

Mr. Green practices in the area of employment law and is a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association. He is also a member of the labor and employment Law Section Council of the Iowa State Bar Association. Mr. Green frequently speaks on federal wage and hour issues, including the Wage and Hour Law update in Iowa to be held in Sioux City in August.

PRESS RELEASE 5/23/02 Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C. announces that Jamie L.Cox has joined the law firm as an associate attorney. Jamie is a 1994 graduate of Wapello High School in Wapello, Iowa. After earning his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and in History with honors and Distinction from the University of Iowa in May, 1998, Jamie received his J.D. from the University of Iowa college of Law in May, 2001. He is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association and is practicing in the area of civil litigation.

PRESS RELEASE 3/5/02 Phil Willson, senior partner in Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently spoke at the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers Advocacy Institute held in Des Moines. Mr. Willson spoke on multi-disciplinary considerations, the position of the American Bar Association and the status of the MDP rules in Iowa and other states.

Mr. Willson currently serves as Chair of the Iowa State Bar Association's Multidisciplinary Practice Committee, is a member of the Council Bluffs Library Board and Trustee of The Opera Omaha Foundation.

PRESS RELEASE 11/15/01 Frank W. Pechacek, Jr., senior partner of Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., was the moderator and speaker on lawyer ethics at the Business Law Seminar held in Iowa City. The seminar is sponsored annually by the University of Iowa College of Law and the Business Law Section of the Iowa State Bar Association. Other topics at the seminar included corporate compliance, responding to corporate criminal investigations and an update on employee benefit plans. The seminar was attended by approximately 75 attorneys.

Mr. Pechacek is a frequent lecturer and speaker on topics such as estate planning and corporate/business law matters. He currently serves as a Chair of the Business Law Section Council of the Iowa State Bar Association and on the Board of Directors of Mercy Hospital Foundation.

PRESS RELEASE 9/24/01 Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C. law firm announces the opening of its Harlan, Iowa branch office. The office is located at 1121 - 7th St. in Harlan and the phone number is 712-755-1111. Douglas D. Murray, a partner with the firm, will be at the Harlan office every Tuesday morning from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Other appointments may be made upon request.

Willson & Pechacek also has branch offices in Treynor, Oakland and Red Oak and practices in individual and corporate tax planning and estate planning, as well as litigation.

PRESS RELEASE 7/18/01 Bruce B. Green, partner in Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently spoke at an agribusiness workshop presented by Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs in Springfield, Illinois. Mr. Green was one of three lawyers from the Midwest who addressed legal issues affecting value-added agriculture projects, and discussed the The workshop was attended by members of agricultural coalitions, individuals considering the formation of value added projects, ag producers and economic development professionals.relationship between business planning and legal structures for ethanol projects.

Mr. Green's presentation followed the finalization of the Adkins Energy project, a 40 million gallon ethanol plant being built in Lena, Illinois. Mr. Green represents the cooperative that initially conceived and developed the corn-to-ethanol project.

PRESS RELEASE 6/18/01 Frank W. Pechacek, Jr., senior partner of Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently attended and was moderator of a seminar sponsored by the Iowa State Bar Association on the changes required for secured transactions under the Iowa Uniform Commercial Code. Major revisions to the Uniform Commercial Code will go into effect in Iowa on July 1, 2001. The seminar was attended by 240 Iowa lawyers.

Mr. Pechacek also recently lectured for four hours at the annual Agricultural Credit School in Ames, Iowa on new changes in loan documentation and security agreements caused by the revisions to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Mr. Pechacek is currently Chair of the Business Law Section Council of the Iowa State Bar Association and he is a frequent lecturer and speaker on topics such as estate planning and corporate/business law matters.

**May 2001 Frank Willson Pechacek, Jr., senior partner of Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently attended and was moderator of a seminar sponsored by the Iowa State Bar Association on the changes required for secured transactions under the Iowa Uniform Commercial Code. Major revisions to the Uniform Commercial Code will go into effect in Iowa on July 1, 2001. The seminar was attended by 240 Iowa lawyers.

Mr. Pechacek is currently Chair of the business Law Section Council of the Iowa State Bar Association and he is a frequent lecturer and speaker on topics such as estate planning and corporate/business law matters.

**May 2001 Phil Willson, senior partner in Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently spoke at The Law of the Missouri River - Water Rights, Management and Policy conference held at Harvey's Casino Hotel. This conference was attended by governmental regulators, consultants, engineers, environmental tribal representatives form Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas and Missouri. Mr. Willson spoke on multidisciplinary and mutijurisdictional practice for the environmental lawyer.

Mr. Willson currently serves as Chair of the Iowa State Bar Association's Multidisciplinary Practice Committee, is a member of the Bar Association's Multijurisdictional Practice Committee and the Iowa Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Iowa rules of Evidence.

**April 2001 Bruce B. Green, partner in Willson & Pechecek, P.L.C., recently spoke at an agribusiness workshop presented by Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs in Springfield, Illinois. Mr. Green was one of three lawyers from the Midwest who addressed legal issues affecting value-added agriculture projects, and discussed the relationship between business planning and legal structures for ethanol projects. The workshop was attended by members of agricultural coalitions, individuals considering the formation of value added projects, ag producers and economic development professionals.

Mr. Green's presentation followed the finalization of the Adkins Energy project, a 40 million gallon ethanol plant being built in Lena, Illinois. Mr. Green represents the cooperative that initially conceived and developed the corn-to-ethanol project.

**April 2001 Bruce B. Green, Partner in Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently spoke at the Government Practice and Administrative Law Seminar held in Des Moines. Mr. Green spoke to city, county and state attorneys from around the state concerning civil rights litigation against government entities and officials.

Mr. Green's practice is primarily in civil matters, including litigation involving employment law, civil rights and personal injury.

**April, 2001 Michael J. Davenport, a partner at Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., was recently admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the united States. Chief Justice William Rehnquist presided over the swearing-in ceremony and also swore-in John Ashcroft as the Attorney General of the United Stated as part of this ceremony. Davenport was the only attorney from Iowa and was one of only 24 members of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America admitted to this prestigious bar as part of this ceremony.

In addition to being a new member of the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, Davenport is a member of the Iowa, Nebraska and American Bar Associations and serves on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Midlands. He practices primarily in the areas of litigation, insurance, and administrative law.

**April, 2001 Michael J. Davenport, a partner at Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently presented an educational course on Iowa property tax laws at Fort Dodge, Iowa and at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. Approximately 100 County Assessors, County Attorneys, and County board of Review Members attended the course, which focused on the intricacies of property tax valuation and exemption issues.

Mr. Davenport is a member of the Iowa, Nebraska and American Bar Associations and serves on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Midlands. He practices primarily in the areas of litigation, insurance, and administrative law.

*** February, 2001 Phil Willson, senior partner in Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently spoke at the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers seminar in Des Moines. Mr. Willson spoke on fee splitting and other multidisciplinary considerations. He is a member of the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers, whose membership is limited to 250 attorneys whose primary dedication is to the trial practice.

Mr. Willson currently serves as President of the Council Bluffs Library Board and in 2000, he received the President's Award from the Iowa State Bar Association for continued dedication and distinguished service to the Bar Association.

**July, 2000 Frank W. Pechacek, Jr., senior partner of Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., has been appointed Chair of the Business Law Section of the Iowa State Bar Association. The Chair position is a top appointment by the Bar Association and is for a two year period.

In June, Mr. Pechacek taught a course on loan documentation and revisions to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code at the Iowa State University Agricultural Credit School, in Ames, Iowa. The school was attended by over 70 agricultural lenders and other credit professionals.

Mr. Pechacek is active in the community and currently serves as a Board member of Southwest Iowa Educational Foundation, Inc. and Mercy Hospital Foundation

**May, 2000 Michael J. Davenport, a partner in Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently spoke at a seminar in Des Moines sponsored by the Government Practice and Administrative Law Sections of the Iowa State Bar Association. Mr. Davenport spoke on the Federal False Claims Act and its impact on Iowa businesses and local governments. This Act is a mechanism through which the Federal Government can attempt to recapture funds considered to have been paid in error or under false pretenses. These disputes typically arise in the context of Medicare and Medicaid payments and payments to Federal Contractors.

Mr. Davenport practices primarily in the area of litigation and he currently serves as an Issue Editor of the "The Nebraska Lawyer" publication.

**April, 2000 Frank W. Pechacek, Jr., a senior member of Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., has been invited to be a Fellow of the Iowa State Bar Foundation. The Fellows program was started to recognize those members of the Iowa State Bar Association who have demonstrated adherence to the highest principals and traditions of the legal profession and service to the public and to the community in which they live. Membership is by invitation and limited to 250 individuals, which is less than five percent of the members of the Bar Association.

Mr. Pechacek is a frequent lecturer and speaker on topics such as estate planning and corporate/business law matters. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Mercy Hospital Foundation and Board of Directors of Southwest Iowa Educational Foundation, Inc.

**February, 2000 Bruce B. Green, partner in Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C., recently attended the Eighth Circuit Conference Advocating Employee Rights in Kansas City, Missouri. The two day conference is specifically designed for lawyers who represent employees under federal employment laws. Presentations and demonstrations were made by leading lawyers in the Eighth Circuit.

Mr. Green is a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association, the sponsor of this seminar. This association provides assistance to attorneys protecting the rights of employees against the greater resources of their employers and the defense bar. The association has over 3,000 members.

Mr. Green's practice is primarily in civil matters, including products liability, premise liability, employment law, personal injury, workers compensation and value-added cooperatives.

**January, 2000 Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C. of Council Bluffs, Iowa, is pleased to announce expanded hours in its Oakland Iowa office. In addition to every Wednesday afternoon, the Oakland branch office will now be open every Tuesday afternoon, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Trent D. Reinert, a partner of the firm, will be at the Oakland office on Tuesday afternoons, beginning on February 8, 2000. The additional hours will allow the firm to better meet the needs of its clients.

Frank W. Pechacek, Jr. will continue to take appointments at the Oakland office every Wednesday afternoon, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Willson & Pechacek also has branch offices in Treynor and Red Oak. Mr. Reinert is in the Red Oak office every Tuesday morning and Mr. Pechacek is in the Treynor office every Wednesday morning.

For Appointments at all offices, please call the Council Bluffs office at 712-322-6000.

**January, 2000 Trent D. Reinert has been named a partner at Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C. Mr. Reinert is a Southwest Iowa native and received his juries doctor from the University of Nebraska College of Law in May, 1993. His current practice focuses primarily on taxation, probate, estate planning and corporate law.

Mr. Reinert is a member of the Iowa, Nebraska and American Bar Associations and is a member of the Omaha Estate Planning Council and Council Bluffs Estate Planning Council.

**January, 2000 Michael J. Davenport has been named a partner at Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law with distinction in 1996 and was a member of the Iowa Law Review.

Mr. Davenport is an Editor of The Nebraska Lawyer and is one of twelve appointees to the Administrative Law Section Council of the Iowa State Bar Association. He is a member of the Iowa, Nebraska and American Bar Associations and serves on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Midlands. He practices primarily in litigation.

**January, 2000 Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C. is pleased to announce that Douglas D. Murray has joined the firm as a partner. Mr. Murray graduated with High Distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1993 and received his undergraduate degree in Accounting from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1985.

Mr. Murray obtained his CPA certificate in 1985 and previously worked as an accountant with a big five accounting firm prior to attending law school. Most recently, he harmed and engaged in a solo law practice in northeast Nebraska.

Mr.Murray's practice will primarily be in the areas of tax preparation, agri-business and corporate law.