Profile
Vanessa A. Silke’s practice encompasses all areas of real estate development, real estate law, and water, energy, and natural resources law. Vanessa’s focus is on traditional real estate acquisition and disposition, leasing, environmental compliance, water rights, land use, development and zoning. Vanessa has represented public and private entities in a number of multi-faceted property rights transactions. Many of these transactions were the first of their kind for the State of Nebraska, requiring extensive due diligence, litigation, new legislation, and coordination with a number of administrative agencies. Vanessa has represented governmental and private interests in administrative and judicial proceedings involving natural resource allocation and land-use decisions at the state and federal level, and ensuring compliance with state and federal environmental laws. Vanessa has built productive relationships among clients, technical consultants, agency decision-makers, potential project partners, and legislators on behalf of her clients.
Vanessa also maintains an active practice as a lobbyist, drafting legislation, testifying before legislative committees, and negotiating with stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes for clients.
Vanessa attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she received her B.A. in political science and attended the University of Nebraska College of Law, where she graduated with distinction, was a member of the Moot Court Board, completed areas of concentrated study in Real Estate Transactions and Natural Resources Law, and received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Secured Transactions. Vanessa began her legal career with a boutique water law and public power firm located in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Areas of Practice
Education
- University of Nebraska College of Law, J.D., with distinction, 2012
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, B.A., political science, 2004
Professional & Civic Affiliations
- Nebraska Bar Association
- Iowa Bar Association
- Nebraska Water Resources Association
Bar & Court Admissions
- Nebraska, 2013
- Iowa, 2012
- U.S. District Court – District of Nebraska, 2015
Selected Practice Highlights
- Advocating on behalf of the Nebraska Craft Brewers Guild for the passage of LB 1105, facilitating the growth of the craft beer industry in Nebraska
- Serving as counsel for the development, coordination, and implementation of conjunctive water management projects and associated property rights acquisitions in the Republican, Platte, and Niobrara River Basins in Nebraska
- Serving as part of the outside counsel team for the State of Florida in Original No. 142 before the U.S. Supreme Court (interstate water rights litigation involving the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin)
- Appearing before the Tax Equalization and Review Commission for appeal of governmental tax exemption determination
In the News
- Partner Vanessa Silke and Associate Hannes Zetzsche Published in USLAW Magazine
- Attorneys Vanessa Silke and Hannes Zetzsche Presenting at the National Carbon Capture Conference & Expo
- Partner Vanessa Silke Speaks at the 2023 Colorado Water Congress Summer Conference
- Baird Holm Attorneys Eli Rosenberg, Hannes Zetzsche, and Vanessa Silke Co-Author the Article, “Advising Bank Clients about Cannabis: Due Diligence, Suspicious-Activity Reports, and Master Accounts,” for the American Bar Association’s Cannabis Law and Policy Committee Newsletter
- Baird Holm Attorneys Hannes Zetzsche and Vanessa Silke Author The Nebraska Lawyer Magazine Article “After AltEn Spill, Legal Claims Sink In”
- Baird Holm Partner Vanessa Silke Appears as a Guest on “Pints & Politics”
Dirt Alert
Environmental Pulse
- Mississippi v. Tennessee: States fight over rights to groundwater
- Biden administration will more often require permits for indirect discharges via groundwater
- Whiplash: A key definition under the Clean Water Act is again changing
- Biden Administration Proposes to Redefine “Waters of the United States”
- Supreme Court Holds That Interstate Groundwater Can Be Subject To Equitable Apportionment
- Nebraska Legislature to Debate Dozens of Bills Impacting Environmental Permitting, Cannabis, Water Projects and Drainage
- 107th Nebraska Legislature, Second Session – Legislative Chart
- Update: Nebraska Legislators Push Forward with Key Bills
- Supreme Court Considers EPA’s Authority to Regulate the Electric Industry’s Greenhouse-Gas Emissions
- Supreme Court Reinstates Trump Rule for State Certifications Under the Clean Water Act
- Nebraska Legislature Tries to Jump Start a Local Clean-Hydrogen Industry
- Nebraska Craft Brewers and Distilleries Score Victories before the Legislature
- Sine Die: Nebraska Legislature Concludes a Busy 2022 Session
- Biden Halts New Tariffs on Solar Panels
- Nebraska Shapes its Legal Framework for Carbon Capture and Underground Storage
- U.S. Supreme Court Limits EPA’s Authority to Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Will Affect Imported Solar Modules
- EPA PROPOSES NEW RULE TO MAKE PFAS A CERCLA “HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE”
- Supreme Court Again Considers Scope of Clean Water Act
- Supreme Court to Determine if States May Regulate Extraterritorial Business Operations
- Biden Administration Finalizes New Rule Defining Waters of the U.S. Under the Clean Water Act
- Senators Introduce 58 Bills Impacting Agriculture, the Environment, Cannabis, Liquor and Water Resources
- Chart from 2023 Nebraska Bill Introduction
- Voluntary Carbon Markets Take Root in the Midwest
- Baird Holm Lobby Efforts Lead to Legislative Victory for Nebraska Alcohol Producers
- Supreme Court to Consider Overruling Chevron Deference
- Climate Goals and Mandatory Reporting Trigger Legal Risks for Companies
- Eighth Circuit Vacates EPA’s Ban on Chemical Pesticide Chlorpyrifos
General
The Closer - M&A, Securities & Corporate Counsel
Areas of Practice
Education
- University of Nebraska College of Law, J.D., with distinction, 2012
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, B.A., political science, 2004
Bar & Court Admissions
- Nebraska, 2013
- Iowa, 2012
- U.S. District Court – District of Nebraska, 2015
Profile
Vanessa A. Silke’s practice encompasses all areas of real estate development, real estate law, and water, energy, and natural resources law. Vanessa’s focus is on traditional real estate acquisition and disposition, leasing, environmental compliance, water rights, land use, development and zoning. Vanessa has represented public and private entities in a number of multi-faceted property rights transactions. Many of these transactions were the first of their kind for the State of Nebraska, requiring extensive due diligence, litigation, new legislation, and coordination with a number of administrative agencies. Vanessa has represented governmental and private interests in administrative and judicial proceedings involving natural resource allocation and land-use decisions at the state and federal level, and ensuring compliance with state and federal environmental laws. Vanessa has built productive relationships among clients, technical consultants, agency decision-makers, potential project partners, and legislators on behalf of her clients.
Vanessa also maintains an active practice as a lobbyist, drafting legislation, testifying before legislative committees, and negotiating with stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes for clients.
Vanessa attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she received her B.A. in political science and attended the University of Nebraska College of Law, where she graduated with distinction, was a member of the Moot Court Board, completed areas of concentrated study in Real Estate Transactions and Natural Resources Law, and received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Secured Transactions. Vanessa began her legal career with a boutique water law and public power firm located in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Professional & Civic Affiliations
- Nebraska Bar Association
- Iowa Bar Association
- Nebraska Water Resources Association
Selected Practice Highlights
- Advocating on behalf of the Nebraska Craft Brewers Guild for the passage of LB 1105, facilitating the growth of the craft beer industry in Nebraska
- Serving as counsel for the development, coordination, and implementation of conjunctive water management projects and associated property rights acquisitions in the Republican, Platte, and Niobrara River Basins in Nebraska
- Serving as part of the outside counsel team for the State of Florida in Original No. 142 before the U.S. Supreme Court (interstate water rights litigation involving the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin)
- Appearing before the Tax Equalization and Review Commission for appeal of governmental tax exemption determination
Dirt Alert
Environmental Pulse
- Mississippi v. Tennessee: States fight over rights to groundwater
- Biden administration will more often require permits for indirect discharges via groundwater
- Whiplash: A key definition under the Clean Water Act is again changing
- Biden Administration Proposes to Redefine “Waters of the United States”
- Supreme Court Holds That Interstate Groundwater Can Be Subject To Equitable Apportionment
- Nebraska Legislature to Debate Dozens of Bills Impacting Environmental Permitting, Cannabis, Water Projects and Drainage
- 107th Nebraska Legislature, Second Session – Legislative Chart
- Update: Nebraska Legislators Push Forward with Key Bills
- Supreme Court Considers EPA’s Authority to Regulate the Electric Industry’s Greenhouse-Gas Emissions
- Supreme Court Reinstates Trump Rule for State Certifications Under the Clean Water Act
- Nebraska Legislature Tries to Jump Start a Local Clean-Hydrogen Industry
- Nebraska Craft Brewers and Distilleries Score Victories before the Legislature
- Sine Die: Nebraska Legislature Concludes a Busy 2022 Session
- Biden Halts New Tariffs on Solar Panels
- Nebraska Shapes its Legal Framework for Carbon Capture and Underground Storage
- U.S. Supreme Court Limits EPA’s Authority to Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Will Affect Imported Solar Modules
- EPA PROPOSES NEW RULE TO MAKE PFAS A CERCLA “HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE”
- Supreme Court Again Considers Scope of Clean Water Act
- Supreme Court to Determine if States May Regulate Extraterritorial Business Operations
- Biden Administration Finalizes New Rule Defining Waters of the U.S. Under the Clean Water Act
- Senators Introduce 58 Bills Impacting Agriculture, the Environment, Cannabis, Liquor and Water Resources
- Chart from 2023 Nebraska Bill Introduction
- Voluntary Carbon Markets Take Root in the Midwest
- Baird Holm Lobby Efforts Lead to Legislative Victory for Nebraska Alcohol Producers
- Supreme Court to Consider Overruling Chevron Deference
- Climate Goals and Mandatory Reporting Trigger Legal Risks for Companies
- Eighth Circuit Vacates EPA’s Ban on Chemical Pesticide Chlorpyrifos