Profile
Hannes D. Zetzsche is a land-use and environmental attorney in the firm’s real-estate section. Licensed to practice law in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, and Wyoming, Hannes helps landowners and developers to acquire, develop, permit, finance, and convey land and natural resources. He has experience dealing with general real-estate matters, environmental liability, and an array of natural resources, including carbon capture and storage, oil and gas and mineral rights, renewable energy, water rights, and wetlands. Hannes is also a registered lobbyist and assists clients with cannabis and liquor regulatory issues.
After attending college, Hannes managed a 1,500-acre hay farm in central Oregon. He then moved to Nebraska to attend law school and concentrate in real estate and water law. Before joining the firm, Hannes worked as a judicial clerk to the Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court, Hon. Michael G. Heavican.
Areas of Practice
Education
- University of Nebraska College of Law, J.D., with high distinction, concentrations in real estate and water law, 2020
- University of Denver Sturm College of Law, visiting student with emphasis in natural resources law, 2019
- University of Portland, B.A., cum laude, rhetoric and German, 2016
Bar & Court Admissions
- Colorado, 2022
- Iowa, 2022
- Kansas, 2024
- Nebraska, 2020
- Oregon, 2022
- US District Court, District of Nebraska, 2020
- Wyoming, 2024
Professional & Civic Affiliations
- Board Member, Habitat for Humanity of Lincoln
- Board Member, Kids Can Community Center
- Executive Committee Member, Nebraska State Bar Association’s Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment, and Energy Law Section
- Programs Committee Member, the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law
- Vice Chair, American Bar Association’s Cannabis Law and Policy Committee
- Vice Chair, American Bar Association’s Water Quality and Water Resources Committees
- Young Lawyers Division Liaison, American Bar Association
Selected Recent Publications
- “How to address water rights in an agricultural transaction,” Progressive Cattle, January 2024
- “Nebraska’s Groundwater Law Turns 90,” The Nebraska Lawyer Magazine, November 2023
- “Seven Best Practices for Making Mixed Use of Cattle Grazing Land,” Progressive Cattle, July 10, 2023 (coauthored with Isaac C. Lawrence)
- Feature Article: “After AltEn Spill, Legal Claims Sink In,” Nebraska Lawyer, May/June 2022, (coauthored with Vanessa A. Silke)
- “Severance: Ownership of Land and the Right to Withdraw Groundwater in Nebraska,” 23 U. Denv. Water L. Rev., 2020
- “50-State Survey: Landowner Liability for Pesticide Drift, National Agricultural Law Center,” 2019 (coauthored with Tiffany Dowell Lashmet)
- “Engineering a Water Case and Ethical Considerations,” 22 U. Denv. Water L. Rev. 847, 2019
- “Not All Aguais Caliente: Proposing the Winters Groundwater Test,” 98 Neb. L. Rev. 220, 2019
Recent Speaking Engagements
- Panelist, National Carbon Capture Conference & Expo, Carbon Capture Magazine and BBI International, Des Moines, IA, November 2023
- “PFAS: How Are They Regulated and Where Are They Headed,” NSBA Annual Meeting, La Vista, NE, October 2023