By Nebraska’s standards, Koenig|Dunne is a mid-size firm. But as the largest divorce firm in Nebraska, these attorneys are leading the way in family law at the community and legislative levels.
The two partners behind the firm’s namesake carved out non-traditional paths, starting with Susan Koenig, who grew up in South Omaha alongside seven siblings. Despite the hardship of poverty, Koenig attended college, then law school at Northeastern University School of Law (Boston) and Creighton.
The Omaha South Hall of Fame inductee and Koenig|Dunne founder began as a solo practitioner. “Susan took anything that would come through the door, as many solo practitioners do; it’s very hard, especially for a woman in 1981 with no mentorship—but she developed a reputation as an excellent attorney,” explained Dunne.
In 1999, while Angela Dunne attended the University of Nebraska College of Law, Koenig was a guest lecturer for Dunne’s family law class. This inspired Dunne to join the firm in 1999 as a clerk and in 2000 she became an attorney. Despite a limited budget and small team of five, according to Dunne, everyone “had a strong belief in the work that we were doing and that we could be great together.”
Also in 2000, Koenig|Dunne moved to its current location at 1266 S 13th Street because Koenig recognized the importance of practicing in South Omaha.
Shortly after Dunne became a partner in 2005, Koenig switched from representing clients to professional coaching both internally at the firm and externally in the community. Dunne became the managing partner, and the growth of newcomers and the firm’s community outreach accelerated.
One newcomer, Angela Lennon, briefly joined as a receptionist in 2008 before attending Creighton Law. Lennon left to work at the county attorney’s office in the domestic violence unit and another divorce firm while she was in law school, but soon re-joined Koenig|Dunne as a clerk, then an attorney, and finally became Koenig|Dunne’s third partner in 2017.
As a community leader, Koenig|Dunne has supported non-profits like the Women’s Fund of Omaha and YWCA, which host free legal service days for people facing domestic abuse and who need legal advice.
At the legislative level, Koenig|Dunne voluntarily serves on a bar committee that reviews annual statewide legislation and testifies before the judiciary committee regarding proposed changes.
Currently, Koenig|Dunne is advocating for an overhaul of Nebraska’s outdated paternity statutes, which exclude non-heterosexual parents’ rights to legally acknowledge their newborn children. As an alternative, Koenig|Dunne proposes parentage statutes, already adopted in other states, to be more inclusive of LGTBQIA+ families, such as biological mothers who deliver children in vitro.
In addition to receiving the 2015 Better Business Bureau Integrity Award, one of Koenig|Dunne’s most significant recent community achievements is the launch of Untie Online. The online divorce tool created by Lennon assists people who can’t afford litigation—Koenig|Dunne is the only law firm in Nebraska offering such a service.
Team members have also authored books to help folks navigate divorce and raising children in separate households. Koenig wrote “Divorce in Nebraska: The Legal Process, Your Rights, and What to Expect” (first edition in 2005, second edition in 2014) and Dunne authored “Patched Up-Parenting” (2018); Dunne also posts parenting blogs on the firm’s website.
Today, Koenig|Dunne employs a team of 24 between attorneys, paralegals, and support staff, requiring the firm to rent out space in the nearby Prague Hotel to accommodate its growth. Dunne explains, “We resist the urge to move out West or into a more traditional office building because we like what we’ve created—it’s a micro example of how we practice law.”
This expansive divorce firm wants to continue its supportive services in new ways, including upcoming custody workbooks and classes, as well as expanding to the Greater Nebraska area, where resources and low-cost representation in smaller, rural communities are more sparse.
And on top of that, Koenig|Dunne is dedicated to its non-traditional approach to divorce law.
“We talk to our clients every day, real people. Divorce is a hard practice area, and it’s different than corporate law at a big firm. Corporate lawyers traditionally are with the business forever; divorce lawyers go away after the divorce, but we create a lasting relationship with the families,” said Dunne.
If you require meaningful representation or want to learn more about what sets Koenig|Dunne apart from other firms, visit koenigdunne.com or call (402) 346-1132.