Richard (Rick) E. Putnam has been the Managing Partner of the firm since 2009, and is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He counsels individuals and entities on business and succession planning issues and has an extensive background in financial transactions. He advises company management on governance, compliance and regulatory matters. He also regularly works with and advises a variety of public and private foundations.

Since 2007, Rick has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Corporate Law, and continues to be ranked by Chambers and Partners USA (© 2013) and Super Lawyers (© 2013). Rick has also been named the Best Lawyers’ 2017 Corporate Law – “Lawyer of the Year” for Omaha, Nebraska.

Jacqueline A. Pueppke’s practice focuses primarily on financing, real estate and construction, and commercial workouts. She represents lending institutions in structuring and documenting transactions for commercial real estate financing, asset-based financing and agricultural financing. She also represents clients in the acquisition, sale and development of real property, leasing, zoning and land use, and construction contracting.

Jackie was named one of Ten Outstanding Young Omahans by the Omaha Jaycees in 2010, was the co-chair of the 2012 ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference, and was a recipient of the Midlands Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award in 2013. Jackie is a 2011 graduate of the Agricultural Lending Institute sponsored by the Ag Lenders Society of California and the University Business Center at the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno, and has been a faculty member for the Agricultural Lending Institute since 2012. Jackie regularly lectures on real estate, financing, and loan documentation issues. Since 2015, Jackie has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Real Estate Law.

Amber N. Preston’s practice focuses on the areas of securities, compliance, and disclosure. She has experience in counseling both public and private companies in these areas and regularly counsels boards of directors and their committees on governance issues, specifically the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank, and the JOBS Acts. Amber frequently advises clients on issues relating to the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and related rules and regulations of the SEC and other self-regulatory organizations, such as FINRA and the MSRB. She actively participates in the preparation and review of annual and quarterly reports, proxy statements, and registration statements.

Amber has completed numerous private placements of debt and equity, as well as registered public offerings for traditional equity financing and municipal bonds. Amber provides counsel to issuers and underwriters on securities law structuring, compliance, and disclosure matters for public finance transactions. Her focus in the public finance area includes drafting and review of disclosure documents and financing agreements.

From time to time, she advises clients on the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Investment Advisers Act of 1940. In this space, she has experience with start-up hedge funds to SEC registered investment companies.

She has represented clients in a variety of industries including distribution, ethanol, biodiesel, wind, banking, software, and telecommunications, and has over a decade of experience representing transportation companies.

Prior to joining the firm in 2004, Amber gained experience at another Nebraska firm advising SEC registered companies, which were primarily publicly traded trucking companies. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 2001, where she was awarded the CALI Award for Future Excellence in Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions. Amber received a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from the College of Saint Mary in 1998.

Barbara E. Person primarily represents health care clients, concentrating on corporate compliance, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, Medicare fraud and abuse, EMTALA, physician practice and other health business acquisition, medical staff issues, tax exemption, practitioner licensure and sanctions, physician contracts, pharmacy and nonprofit corporations.

Barbara served as law clerk to the Honorable William C. Hastings, Judge, Nebraska Supreme Court from 1985-1986. She served as a Board member (1993-1999) and as President (1997-1998) of the Nebraska Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. Since 2001, Barbara has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Health Care Law and was named the Best Lawyers’ 2019 Health Care Law “Lawyer of the Year” for Omaha. She is also rated AV Preeminant® by Martindale-Hubbell, and has been named a 2019 Woman Leader in Law by the Corporate Counsel & The American Lawyer magazines. Barbara is included on the Chambers USA (© 2013) list.

Barbara is a frequent lecturer to many organizations, including the American Academy of Healthcare Attorneys, the Nebraska Hospital Association, the Iowa Hospital Association, the Healthcare Financial Management Association (Nebraska and Iowa Chapters), the Nebraska Mental Health Association, the Nebraska Association of Medical Staff Services and Nebraska Continuing Legal Education, Inc., on such topics as corporate compliance, EMTALA, privacy of protected health information, credentialing, and fraud and abuse.