Thomas Freeman Email & Phone Number

I represent workers who have experienced workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or other violations of employment law. I frequently publish and present on issues related to technology law and ethics. I am available to handle or consult on cases involving algorithmic bias and other forms of technology-based employment discrimination. Fiedler Law Firm is an employment law firm that provides support in an atmosphere of respect toward clients, other legal professionals, and each other. We are civil rights lawyers dedicated to meeting your needs and doing everything we can to get justice for you.We mostly represent people who have faced sexual harassment, workplace discrimination, wrongful termination, or other labor law violations. We fight hard to win you the dignity and respect you deserve.

Omaha, Ne, Us

I taught basic and advanced business law courses to business students. My courses focused on laws that affect managerial action. A key element of my classes was exploring the legal and ethical issues involved in big data, data analytics, artificial intelligence, fintech, and other emerging technologies. We discussed and debated contemporary legal issues and developed critical thinking skills. My goal was to provide business students with the legal knowledge necessary to excel in managerial and leadership roles in the business world. I developed a Negotiation course for business students, Seminar in Management: Negotiations, the first negotiation course offered in Creighton’s Business College. I also served as the Director of the Creighton Business Law and Technology Ethics Research Forum and as Head Coach of Creighton University's Mock Trial Team.My areas of interest and research included fiduciary duties, business ethics, behavioral economics, and the legal and ethical issues posed by big data, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, fintech, and other emerging technologies.Key Accomplishments:• Revamped the Teaching of Business Law (LAW 301) to provide a much more well-rounded legal curriculum.• Developed an undergraduate Negotiation curriculum, which has been very well received.• Published "Janus and the Future of Collective Bargaining: Rhetorically Predicting a First Amendment Right to Negotiation," 11 Wm. & Mary Bus. L. Rev. 609 (2020).• Received Best Paper Award at 2020 MALSB Annual Conference for "Let Them All Eat Cake: Rhetorically Mapping Religious Freedom, LGBTQIA Discrimination, and The First Amendment After Janus and Masterpiece."• Named a Finalist for Heider Faculty Member of the Year.• Named a Finalist for Master Teacher Award Competition at 2021 MALSB Annual Conference.• Elected to MALSB Executive Board.

Omaha, Ne, Us

New York, Ny, Us

I led teams of students, lawyers, and teachers who created a national curricular pilot for high school civics classes on algorithmic discrimination in employment, education, and criminal justice.

Omaha, Nebraska, Us

I provided corporate legal services and counsel to the company, served as counsel to senior leadership, and structured and executed all aspects of the company’s relationship with vendors, clients, and regulatory agencies. I drafted, reviewed, and negotiated contracts and policies and drafted and reviewed requests for proposals, requests for information, and bid documentation. I developed and led corporate legal strategy to promote the company’s interests and served as a resource to support business operations in risk mitigation. I also:• Revised the company's terms and conditions, which apply to tens of thousands of contracts• Revised the Employee Handbook and numerous related employment policies• Drafted new HR forms to document onboarding, disciplinary processes, and performance improvement plans• Successfully resolved several insurance claims• Managed vendor relationships and negotiated more favorable contracts

Omaha, Nebraska, Us

I provided legal counsel to a variety of tribes and tribal entities. I handled all types of state and federal litigation, including administrative hearings, settlement conferences, trials, and appellate matters. I also advised tribes and tribal entities, officers, and employees on a wide range of legal, business, financial, legislative, and corporate issues affecting their business and governmental affairs.

I provided legal counsel to the 81 Nebraska counties and 14 related agencies that comprise NRMA’s membership. I handled all manner of state and federal litigation, including administrative hearings, settlement conferences, trials, and appellate matters. I created, designed, and developed educational materials and content for NRMA publications. I designed and conducted presentations, workshops, seminars, and training sessions for county officials. I also advised the NRMA Board of Directors, officers, and employees on a wide range of legal, business, financial, legislative, and corporate issues affecting the company's business and governmental affairs.Notable Cases:• Frenchman Valley Coop. v. County of Deuel, Nebraska, District Court of Deuel County, CI 18-21 (obtained dismissal); • Haller, et al. v. County of Dundy, Nebraska, U.S. District Court for Nebraska, 4:19-cv-3028 (obtained dismissal of federal claims), District Court of Dundy County, CI 19-4 (obtained dismissal of remaining state claims); • Hornback v. Roger & Edith Loock & County of Boyd, Nebraska, District Court of Boyd County, CI 18-7 (obtained settlement on favorable terms); • Estate of Jackson Potadle v. County of Washington, Nebraska, District Court of Washington County, Nebraska, CI 19-45 (took case to trial, won, case was dismissed); • Withrow v. United States of America, et al., U.S. District Court for Nebraska, 8:18:CV469 (case dismissed), appeal to 8th Cir. Ct. of Appeals as 19-1818 (summary disposition granted); • Will & Vernyce Weber v. County of Garfield, Nebraska, District Court of Garfield County, CI 18-2 (took case to trial, won).

Lincoln, Ne, Us

I served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division. I led investigations and then brought litigation or other enforcement actions against individuals or entities accused of violating the Nebraska Consumer Protection Act, the Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the Nebraska Non-Profit Corporation Act, or who had engaged in fraud, money laundering, or other violations of state or federal laws. I handled dozens of active and often high-profile cases through investigation and/or litigation. Many of my cases involved collaboration with other state agencies as well as local and federal law enforcement agencies. I worked closely with the Department of Banking and Finance on multiple fraud-related cases. I was deeply involved in complex investigations and litigation that dealt with corporate governance issues and organizational best practices. I led a team of attorneys and investigators in a thorough and well-publicized investigation of Goodwill Omaha. I worked closely with Attorney General Peterson to identify the problems with the organization, determine appropriate remedies, and draft a comprehensive report detailing our findings. I also drafted a Best Practices Guide, with official guidance for nonprofit organizations operating in Nebraska. I had varying degrees of involvement in investigations and complex multi-state litigation brought by multiple states. I served as lead counsel for two such actions, which involved dozens of states, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).I worked on issues related to how consumer protection law must evolve to deal with threats posed by big data, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, and changes in technology. I also served as a faculty member for the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute (NAGTRI), where I helped to instruct other Attorneys General on trial advocacy and negotiation skills.

Omaha, Nebraska, Us

Courses Taught:• Negotiation, Law 410• Alternative Dispute Resolution, LAW 310For the Negotiation course, I developed and refined a curriculum designed to teach the theoretical and practical aspects of negotiation. I used readings, classroom discussions, exercises, and negotiation sessions to make law students more effective negotiators. The ADR course is focused on exploring the various forms of alternative dispute resolution, which also include mediation and arbitration. Students were instructed in the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of conflict resolution. The focus is still to a large degree on negotiation. As roughly 96% of civil cases settle prior to trial, the ability to negotiate effectively is a critical one for attorneys to possess.I also helped to coach, mentor, and advise Creighton Law's negotiation, mediation, and trial teams as they prepared for regional and national competitions.

My practice involved managing complex litigation and handling trials and appeals in both state and federal courts. I drafted and reviewed all manner of contracts. I also advised corporate clients on employment and labor issues, risk management, liability, corporate governance, and other legal matters. Representative clients included Liberty Mutual, Catholic Mutual, First Data Resources, Oriental Trading Company, and many others. I was selected to represent Woodmen of the World in arbitration proceedings for insurance claims.In one of my career highlights, I served as lead counsel for the Plaintiffs in the case of Malone et al. v. Kantner et al. This was a successful federal shareholder derivative case alleging that the Directors of Blue Valley Foods, a Nebraska company, breached their fiduciary duties to the company, converted corporate property, usurped corporate opportunities, and engaged in various other abuses of Blue Valley Foods and its minority shareholders.I represented a former employee of the City of Omaha, whose pension had been wrongfully terminated by the City of Omaha Pension Board. I appealed the decision and also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Omaha and the Pension Board. Ultimately the City surrendered, reinstated her pension retroactive to its termination, and paid my attorney fees. I represented the homeowners of Iske Place, who were victims of a massive flood. I lobbied for and then negotiated a multimillion dollar buyout involving FEMA, NEMA, Sarpy County, the City of Bellevue, the Papio-Missouri River NRD, and the Nebraska Environmental Trust, which provided my clients with pre-flood values for their properties.I also represented Travelers Indemnity Company in the case of In Re Estate of Evertson, 295 Neb. 301 (2016). I was hired after an unfavorable decision from the Nebraska Court of Appeals and successfully petitioned the Nebraska Supreme Court for further review and then ultimately won the case on appeal.

Bellevue, Ne, Us

I served as an adjunct professor at Bellevue University, teaching courses in the Kirkpatrick Signature Series, which involves aspects of law, history and philosophy. This role involved teaching both traditional and online courses.

My practice was focused on the areas of workers' compensation, personal injury and employment law, and the mediation and litigation of those types of claims. I worked with the NEOC and EEOC on employment discrimination claims, which often wound up being litigated in federal court. I wrote briefs, researched legal issues, worked with clients, made court appearances, tried cases, handled appeals, and managed complex litigation. I also drafted and reviewed contracts and insurance policies.

I wrote trial and appellate briefs, researched a variety of complex legal issues, met with clients, and handled a variety of hearings, trials, and negotiations. I was tasked with drafting briefs related to summary judgment motions. I also drafted and reviewed commercial contracts and insurance policies.

San Jose, Ca, Us

I analyzed transactions and accounts to find and prevent fraudulent transactions. This role required the ability to quickly evaluate the legitimacy of transactions occurring in real time. Once I identified a fraudulent transaction, I then scanned the system for similar transactions and more widespread patterns. I also worked with banks, financial institutions, and law enforcement to identify fraudulent transactions and to pursue those who appeared to be violating the law. In total, I prevented millions of dollars of fraud during my time at PayPal.

Omaha, Nebraska, Us

I worked to help customers find suitable banking products and services that met their needs. I helped to train new personal bankers. I also developed a marketing plan directed toward college students, which the bank did not have at the time.

Master Of Business Administration (Mba), Organizational Leadership, Finance, Economics, And Management

Master Of Science (Ms), Negotiation And Dispute Resolution

Juris Doctorate (Jd), Law

Bachelor Of Arts, Liberal Arts

Business Administration