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Bartholomew (Bart) L. McLeay (born February 28, 1959) is a distinguished Omaha business attorney and a 2014 Republican candidate for United States Senate in Nebraska.

Early Life, Education and Family
McLeay was born in Omaha, Nebraska on February 28, 1959. He has an identical twin brother, Matthew T. McLeay, who is an Omaha physician.

McLeay grew up in a family of eight children. He attended St. Margaret Mary’s grade school. In 1977, he graduated from Creighton Prep High School, where he played football and was editor of the school newspaper.

McLeay went to college at the University of Arizona, where he graduated with a B.A.B.S. in Accounting, in 1981, with distinction. He played college football for one year and served as one of eight campus-wide student senators. He was a member of the College Republicans club, Beta Alpha Psi accounting fraternity and Sigma Phi Epsilon social fraternity.

McLeay completed his first year of law school at the University of Nebraska School in Lincoln, where his high marks resulted in an invitation to join the Law Review. He received his Juris Doctor degree from University of Virginia in 1984. He was a member of the Virginia Tax Review and published an article entitled Disincentives to Voluntary Disclosure: United States v. Hebel and Deleet Merchandising Corp v. Commissioner, 3 Va. Tax. Rev. 401 (1984).

McLeay’s family roots go back 150 years in Nebraska. He is a third-generation Nebraskan on his father’s side, and fifth generation on his mother’s side. His fraternal grandfather was a family physician in Stapleton, Nebraska, and his father, John F. McLeay, is a general surgeon in Omaha. His maternal grandfather was a lawyer in Nebraska City who was appointed a district court judge for Otoe, Cass and Sarpy counties. His mother is Ruth Dunbar McLeay.

McLeay married Jane Porter McLeay in 19__. Jane is from Nebraska City and comes from a family with a rich Nebraska history. Jane’s grandfather, father and two brothers played football for the University of Nebraska, and Jane was a Husker cheerleader. Jane’s family owned Porter Orchards before transferring the property to the Arbor Day Foundation.

Bart and Jane live in Omaha and have four children, Bryce (25), Scotty (23), Elle (22) and Jack (17).

Bar Admission & Recognition
McLeay was admitted to the Nebraska State Bar in 1984. He is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the District of Columbia, the Nebraska Supreme Court and several federal courts of appeal.

McLeay has earned the AV Preeminent peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest possible rating for ethical standards and legal ability. This rating represents the pinnacle of professional excellence and is achieved only after an attorney has been reviewed and recommended by their peers--members of the bar and the judiciary.

McLeay has presented at numerous trial seminars and was described by Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, as a “well prepared” trial lawyer with “lots of experience and good judgment.” Mr. McLeay has been regularly selected for honors in litigation publications including Corporate Counsel Super Lawyers; Benchmark: The Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys; and Best Lawyers.

Judicial Clerkships
McLeay served as a law clerk to the Honorable Albert G. Schatz, United States District Court for the District of Nebraska, in 1984-85 and to the Honorable Donald R. Ross, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, in 1985.

Kutak Rock Business Litigator
McLeay joined the Omaha office of Kutak Rock LLP in 1985, where he remained until he took a role as of counsel to the firm in order to dedicate himself full-time to his campaign for the United States Senate.

Kutak Rock is a national law firm headquartered in Omaha which has 450 attorneys in more than a dozen offices across the United States. From 2006-2013, McLeay was the Chairman of the firm’s litigation department coordinating the efforts of 140 attorneys nationwide.

Some of McLeay’s notable cases include successful representation of landowners against the federal government in a property right dispute on the Niobrara River; representation of the State of Nebraska, as a Special Assistant Attorney General, in a water rights case against Kansas and Colorado; and representation of the Wounded Warrior Project, whose rights were infringed.

U.S. Senate Race
On July 1, 2013, McLeay announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by U.S. Senator Mike Johanns, who had announced he would not run for re-election in 2014.