Dwyer is an experienced appellate and trial litigator admitted to regular practice in Nebraska, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, working on litigation in federal and state courts throughout the country. This includes acting as counsel of record before the United States Supreme Court, successfully presenting oral argument before a federal appeals court sitting en banc, securing mandamus relief after the denial of a demand for jury trial in federal court, serving as counsel for amicus curiae in civil rights appeals, and representing clients in jury, bench, and administrative trials.
In addition to his commercial work, Dwyer maintains a pro bono practice providing legal services to non-profit entities and serves on several bar committees. One of those committees is the Nebraska State Bar Association’s Practice and Procedure Committee, of which Dwyer serves as Chair. In his capacity as Chair, Dwyer has been involved in proposing legislation to the Nebraska legislature, proposing amendments to Nebraska appellate and discovery rules to the Nebraska Supreme Court, and testifying in support of legislation before the Nebraska legislature. Dwyer also serves on the Executive Council of the Omaha Bar Association.
Dwyer also maintains an active practice in the U.S. Virgin Islands and serves as a member of the Legislation and Law Reform Committee and the Judiciary Committee of the Virgin Islands Bar Association. His work on those committees has included preparing proposals for legislative reform by the Virgin Islands Legislature, reviewing the qualifications of individuals seeking appointment to judicial positions, and serving as counsel to the Virgin Islands Bar Association.
Outside of his practice, Dwyer serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors of MICAH House, a family emergency shelter providing temporary housing to over 800 members of the Omaha metro and western Iowa communities annually. Dwyer has volunteered hundreds of hours at the shelter, serving meals, sorting donations, and engaging in structured playtime with children experiencing the stress of living in the shelter. Dwyer serves as a mentor to a child facing adversity in the Omaha community through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands.
Before returning home to Omaha and entering private practice, Dwyer spent several years on the island of St. Croix as the senior law clerk to the Honorable Maria M. Cabret, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Virgin Islands. Dwyer worked for the Court during a transformational time in the territory’s history, when the Virgin Islands Supreme Court—then only in operation for five years—was in the process of developing rules and procedures for the Virgin Islands Judiciary. He assisted Justice Cabret in resolving numerous issues of first impression, preparing dozens of draft opinions and countless more memoranda in cases touching on essentially all aspects of territorial law. Dwyer also assisted the Supreme Court’s independent counsel in preparing an amicus brief filed with the Third Circuit addressing that court’s authority to rule on issues of territorial law. Dwyer was recognized by the Government of the Virgin Islands as 2014 Employee of the Year because of his work on the Supreme Court.
Dwyer is a recognized authority on matters of Virgin Islands law, territorial court systems, and federal law affecting U.S. territories, and has been invited to present several CLEs on the Virgin Islands legal system alongside federal and territorial judges, law professors, and members of Congress. These CLE presentations have focused on the development of common law in the Virgin Islands, the relationship between federal and territorial courts, and the legacy of U.S. Supreme Court precedent on the rights of Americans living in U.S. territories, among other topics.
Dwyer graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. There, he served as a staff writer and later as Managing Editor of JURIST, a Webby Award winning legal publication and the world’s only law school based comprehensive legal news and research service, reaching an audience of 20,000 visitors a week. As a staff writer, Dwyer wrote 340 legal news articles for publication. His articles have been cited as authority by publications of the Library of Congress, New York University Review of Law and Social Change, Temple Political & Civil Rights Law Review, Seattle University Law Review, and Boston College Law Review, among others. His work with JURIST was recognized by that publication’s highest awards three years in a row.
Government Service
- Senior Law Clerk to Justice Maria M. Cabret, Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands (2012-2016)
- Judicial Intern to Judge Nora Barry Fischer, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (2011)
