Profile
John P. Heil’s practice focuses on environmental matters. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and state and federal courts in Nebraska.
In 1973, John received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School. He was conferred a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
John was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General Corps from 1973 to 1976. He served the Honorable Frank G. Theis, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the District of Kansas, as a law clerk from 1976 to 1978.
John is a founder and member of the American College of Environmental Lawyers. He has also served as Chair of the Section on Natural Resources and Environmental Law of the Nebraska State Bar Association, as well as President of the Nebraska Council of School Attorneys. He is a member of the Environmental Law Institute, the Omaha Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He served as a consultant to the State of Nebraska on the drafting of the Nebraska Integrated Solid Waste Management Act in 1991 and 1992. From 1995 to 1996, John was the President of Nebraskans for Public Television, Inc., and he is a former member and chair of the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission. He was named a Fellow of the Nebraska State Bar Foundation in 1998. For more 30 years, John has been a regular presenter at legal seminars, both locally and nationally.
John is listed in Great Plains Super Lawyers 2009. Since 1997, John has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® for Litigation – Environmental and was named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers® in 2018 for Omaha Litigation – Environmental. He has also been listed in the Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel 2010 Edition under the primary practice area Environmental Litigation.
Areas of Practice
Education
- University of Michigan Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1973
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, B.A., 1970
Bar & Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 1980
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1976
- Nebraska, 1973
Professional & Civic Affiliations
- American Bar Association, Section on Environment, Energy and Resources
- American College of Environmental Lawyers, Founding Member, Board of Regents
- Environmental Law Institute
- Nebraska Council of School Attorneys
- Nebraska State Bar Association, Natural Resources & Environmental Law Section
- Omaha Bar Association
Selected Practice Highlights
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Representing the Entergy and Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating companies in federal court litigation against the State of Nebraska regarding the Boyd County low-level radioactive waste facility