Sipple Law is an Omaha trial law firm representing clients in criminal and civil jury trials throughout Nebraska. Attorney Adam J. Sipple has tried cases in Nebraska state and federal courts since 1993, winning Not Guilty verdicts at trial and 10 reversals of criminal judgments on appeal. Call 402-778-5055 to discuss your case.
Facing criminal allegations is difficult. It threatens your freedom and your reputation. In light of these stakes, the law requires the government to prove each and every element of the crime charged beyond a reasonable doubt. An experienced trial lawyer – one who will unapologetically exercise your rights – can achieve a just result, whether by trying your case to a jury or negotiating from a position of strength.
Over more than three decades in practice, Adam Sipple has established a reputation as an aggressive, knowledgeable, and creative trial lawyer. He has won Not Guilty verdicts through grueling cross-examination of witnesses and by advancing defenses based on false confessions, improper hypnosis of witnesses, and other defenses most lawyers never find. Those defenses are discovered when a lawyer spends time with and listens to the person he has promised to defend. Adam will listen to you.
Trial readiness also changes negotiations. Prosecutors and insurance companies track which lawyers actually try cases and which ones always settle. When the other side knows your attorney has won jury verdicts in the Douglas County District Court and the federal courthouse down the street, settlement offers and plea negotiations reflect it. Sipple Law prepares every case as if it will be decided by twelve jurors.
What Happens at a Criminal Trial in Nebraska?
A Nebraska criminal trial moves through jury selection (voir dire), opening statements, the State’s evidence and witness testimony, cross-examination, the defense case, closing arguments, jury instructions, deliberation, and the verdict. Felony trials are heard in district court before a jury of twelve, and the verdict must be unanimous. Misdemeanor cases are tried in county court.
The burden never shifts. The prosecution must prove every element of the charged offense beyond a reasonable doubt – the highest standard in American law. The defense is not required to prove innocence, call witnesses, or put the accused on the stand.
Nebraska’s speedy trial statute, Neb. Rev. Stat. 29-1207, generally requires the State to bring a defendant to trial within six months of filing the information or indictment, subject to excludable periods. Deadlines like this one are leverage, and a trial lawyer who knows how to use them can force the State to commit to its evidence early.
Adam defends clients at trial against the full range of state and federal charges, including murder, sexual assault, drug and firearm charges, fraud, and federal conspiracy cases. He is not a former prosecutor and was not a police officer. He depends on strength in the courtroom, not friendly relationships with his adversary, for results.
Where Criminal and Civil Trials Are Heard in Omaha
State felony and civil jury trials in Omaha are heard by the Douglas County District Court (Fourth Judicial District) at the Hall of Justice, 1701 Farnam Street, Omaha, NE 68183 – the busiest judicial district in Nebraska. Misdemeanor and preliminary matters are handled by the Douglas County Court in the same building.
Federal criminal and civil trials are heard by the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska at the Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse, 111 South 18th Plaza, Omaha, NE 68102. Adam has been admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska since 1998 and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit since 1994, so the same lawyer who tries your case can protect the record for appeal – and argue it.
Civil Jury Trials: Personal Injury, Civil Rights, and Business Disputes
Sipple Law also takes civil cases to verdict. Adam represents plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death cases, victims of police misconduct and other civil rights violations under 42 U.S.C. 1983, and individuals and businesses in commercial litigation.
Two Nebraska rules shape every civil trial decision. First, most personal injury claims must be filed within four years under Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-207, and some claims – like libel and slander – carry much shorter deadlines. Second, Nebraska’s comparative negligence statute, Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-21,185.09, bars recovery entirely if the plaintiff’s negligence is equal to or greater than the defendant’s. Defense lawyers and insurers build their entire strategy around shifting blame past that 50 percent line, which is why who tries your case matters as much as the facts.
A case should go to trial when the other side refuses fair compensation, when liability is disputed and the evidence favors you, or when the stakes are too high to accept a discounted settlement. Adam will tell you honestly which category your case is in.
A Trial Record That Continues on Appeal
Adam has won acquittals in numerous criminal jury trials and has prevailed in more than half of the cases he has tried. Jurors have thanked him from the jury box before returning Not Guilty verdicts, and his cross-examination has led alleged victims and witnesses to recant their allegations during trial.
When a trial goes wrong, Adam fixes it on appeal. Beginning with the reversal of a first-degree murder conviction in 1997, he has won ten reversals of criminal judgments in the appellate courts, including four in the Nebraska Supreme Court and two in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. In one case, the Eighth Circuit ordered the release of his client before issuing its decision – a result rarely accomplished.
Raised in Columbus, Nebraska, Adam Sipple earned his B.A. from the University of Nebraska in 1990 and his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1993. He was admitted to the Missouri state courts in 1993, the Nebraska state courts in 1994, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in 1994, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska in 1998.
Adam is a Nebraska Bar Fellow (2020) and an elected member of a Nebraska Judicial Nominating Committee. He is a member of the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys and the Nebraska Criminal Defense Attorneys Association, for which he has presented continuing legal education on habeas corpus and Fourth Amendment issues.
Adam does not buy badges for his website or claim he is the best lawyer in the country. He promises that if you are his client, he will skillfully and aggressively protect your rights and advance your claims while treating you and your case as his most important.
Sipple Law also serves clients in these nearby communities:
A case should go to trial when the opposing side refuses to offer fair compensation, when liability is disputed and the facts favor you, or when the stakes are too high to accept a discounted result. In criminal cases, trial is the right choice when the State cannot prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt or its plea offer ignores weaknesses in its evidence. Sipple Law prepares every case as if it will go to trial, which strengthens negotiations even in cases that settle.
Felony trials in Omaha are heard by the Douglas County District Court (Fourth Judicial District) at the Hall of Justice, 1701 Farnam Street, Omaha, NE 68183. Misdemeanor cases are tried in the Douglas County Court in the same building. Federal criminal trials are heard by the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska at the Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse, 111 South 18th Plaza, Omaha, NE 68102. Adam Sipple tries cases in all three courts.
Under Nebraska’s speedy trial statute, Neb. Rev. Stat. 29-1207, the State must generally bring a defendant to trial within six months of filing the information or indictment. Certain periods are excluded from the calculation, such as delays caused by defense motions or continuances the defendant requests. If the deadline passes without a valid exclusion, the defendant is entitled to absolute discharge of the charges. Calculating and protecting this deadline is one of the first things a trial lawyer should do.
The prosecution must prove every element of the charged offense beyond a reasonable doubt, the highest burden of proof in American law. In Nebraska district court, a felony verdict requires the unanimous agreement of all twelve jurors. The defendant is presumed innocent, has no obligation to testify or present evidence, and the burden never shifts to the defense. If even one element is not proven to every juror’s satisfaction, the jury must acquit.
Yes. Adam Sipple tries criminal defense cases – including murder, sexual assault, drug, firearm, and federal charges – and civil cases including personal injury, wrongful death, police misconduct and other civil rights claims under 42 U.S.C. 1983, and business litigation. He is admitted to practice in the Nebraska state courts, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and also handles criminal and civil appeals.
Most Nebraska personal injury lawsuits must be filed within four years under Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-207. Some claims carry much shorter deadlines – libel and slander claims must be filed within one year, and claims against government entities require a written claim under the Political Subdivisions Tort Claims Act before suit. Missing the deadline almost always ends the case permanently, so the safest step is to have a trial attorney calculate the applicable deadline as soon as possible after the injury.
Trial length depends on complexity. A straightforward misdemeanor or single-issue civil trial may take one to three days, while a serious felony trial or complex civil case in the Douglas County District Court can run one to three weeks or longer. Federal trials at the Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse often take longer because of multi-count indictments and expert testimony. Sipple Law gives clients a realistic timeline based on the charges, the evidence, and the court’s calendar.
If you are facing criminal charges or a civil dispute headed to the courtroom in Omaha or anywhere in eastern Nebraska, contact SIPPLE LAW before you talk to anyone else about your case.
