The Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA) recently awarded a 2024 Visionary Award to Woods Aitken attorney Audrey R. Svane. Audrey is a partner in the firm’s litigation group and her practice includes construction law, commercial litigation, and product liability and personal injury claims. In addition to her practice, Audrey is dedicated to serving the community through pro bono work, board service, and volunteerism.
The Nebraska State Bar Association Visionary Awards are presented to outstanding attorneys for their service to further the mission of the NSBA or their dedication to programs sponsored by the Nebraska Lawyers Foundation. Up to three Visionary Awards are awarded annually.
“As attorneys, we have both a professional responsibility and ethical duty to provide pro bono services to those in need. Pro bono work is important to me because it has allowed me to gain additional perspective on issues in my community outside of my own personal experiences,” said Ms. Audrey Svane.
Audrey serves as a volunteer attorney with the Tenant Assistance Project (TAP), a homelessness prevention project that provides free legal assistance to unrepresented low-income tenants who appear for their eviction hearings at the Lancaster and Douglas County Courthouses. Audrey also volunteers her time to support a variety of community programs and legal clinics.
During her time as chair of Woods Aitken’s pro bono committee (2021-2023), Audrey worked to develop a written pro bono policy for the firm. The policy encourages all attorneys to devote a minimum of 50 hours each year to pro bono legal services and provides opportunities and resources to encourage and support attorneys in providing pro bono service.
In 2020, Audrey was one of a number of attorneys honored with a Friends of Legal Aid Attorney Partner Equal Justice Award for their efforts as volunteer attorneys with TAP during the COVID-19 public health crisis. In the Spring of 2022, Audrey was recognized by the law student volunteers as the Tenant Assistance Project Attorney Outstanding Mentor. She was recently named to the board of directors for Legal Aid of Nebraska and is a Platinum Advocate for the Nebraska Lawyers Foundation, helping support the charitable initiatives of the Nebraska State Bar Association.
Audrey is also an adjunct professor of Pretrial Litigation and Construction Practice at the University of Nebraska College of Law, her alma mater.