Joel Pedersen, who has served as Vice President and General Counsel for the University of Nebraska since 2008, is joining Omaha law firm Baird Holm. Pedersen brings with him a wealth of legal knowledge and experience that spans multiple practice areas, including his work on high profile public-private partnerships, higher education and strategic development projects throughout the state.
As chief legal officer and member of the senior leadership team for the four-campus University system since 2008, Pedersen has led a team of attorneys responsible for a broad range of legal services at the University. His legal support enabled the university to pursue many high-impact projects such as the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at UNMC, Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln, Baxter Arena in Omaha, Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln and iExcel at UNMC.
Pedersen’s intercollegiate athletics experience helped UNL move to the Big Ten Conference and exit from the Big XII, and he represented UNO in the move to Division I Athletics, the formation of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and related conference re-alignments.
Pedersen began his tenure with the University of Nebraska as Associate General Counsel in 2006. Prior to that, he spent 18 years as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Lincoln. There, he served as lead counsel for multiple litigation matters, including appellate practice before the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Nebraska.
He represented the City in the public/private partnership that resulted in Haymarket Park, and served as legal counsel to the Joint Antelope Valley Authority (JAVA), the entity created by the city, university and Lower Platte South Natural Resources District to oversee the Antelope Valley Project. Pedersen was an Assistant City Attorney for Lincoln from 1988-2006.
