About Our Staff
COCKLE LAW BRIEF PRINTING CO. SERVICES Cockle Law Brief Printing Co. is the largest producer of U.S. Supreme Court briefs in the United States, assisting attorneys in meeting the stringent requirements of the Court. We are known for our expertise in every stage of producing briefs, from early consultation to printing and filing with the Court.
Thanks to the technology of the internet and fax, our Midwest location is a plus. Our low overhead allows us to offer substantially lower prices than our East Coast competitors, and being located in the central time zone gives us an extra hour at the end of each day to prepare your brief. Because your brief is timely filed when sent from our office, there is no advantage in using an East Coast printer.
HISTORY OF COCKLE LAW BRIEF PRINTING COMPANY
Cockle Law Brief Printing Company was founded in Omaha, Nebraska in 1923 by Albert and Eda Cockle. At that time, their business was printing stationery, business cards and wedding announcements. They began printing legal briefs when an attorney came into the shop and asked them to print a brief he was preparing to file with the Nebraska Supreme Court. Both Albert and Eda, who had law degrees, realized this was an opportunity to apply their legal education to the printing business. They became experts in the correct preparation of briefs, and attorneys increasingly began to look to them for advice. This expertise is what continues to distinguish Cockle from other competitors throughout the country.
In 1930, Eda founded The Cockle Bur, a promotional pamphlet mailed monthly to Cockle customers — mostly attorneys. A collection of pithy quotes, sayings and poems, it became a popular signature item and is still published today. Some of the best entries have been compiled and published in a book entitled Simple Truths.
When George, Eda and Albert's son, took over the business in 1965, he decided to make law briefs the company's sole specialty. His strategy was to visit every town in Nebraska to listen to attorneys' needs and desires. As a result, Cockle became Nebraska's largest producer of law briefs.
In the early 1980s, George, recently retired at age 85, turned the business over to his children, Andy and Trish. Cockle has since grown to become the largest producer of law briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court, a status it continues to enjoy today.
Our Staff
Trish Billotte
Co-Owner/Corrections Specialist
Trish is the co-owner of Cockle Law Brief Printing Co., and she personally oversees the corrections department. Possessing an undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska, Trish worked side-by-side with Merna Smith as they helped perfect thousands upon thousands of filings to the United States Supreme Court over a 35-year span. Trish has a well-established rapport with the Supreme Court's Clerks, and she ensures the quality of every "Cockle" brief.
Mary Anne Shepard
Document Analyst/Corrections Specialist
Mary Anne possesses a B.A. in English, magna cum laude, and a Juris Doctorate, from Creighton University. Before joining the Cockle family, Mary Anne practiced corporate law and real estate law, and was an assistant prosecutor. Mary Anne then spent 15 years teaching paralegals, inter alia, the art of legal research and writing at Iowa Western Community College and other institutions of higher learning. Every Cockle client benefits from Mary Anne's wealth of experience because she is both a lead proofreader and the primary contact for corrections. Mary Anne is also an Eleventh Circuit Court Specialist.
Shari Lockenour
Assistant Office Manager/Document Analyst
Shari is the most experienced Cockle Legal Brief Specialist, serving under the tutelage of Merna Smith for over 12 years. Shari has a long working relationship with the Court's Clerks and she assists attorneys from the initial stage of the process until printing. She is a D.C. and Fifth Circuit Specialist. Also, Shari is a lead proofreader and head trainer of new staff at Cockle.
Kate Collister
Document Analyst
Kate possesses a B.A. in History from Kings College, London and a post-graduate certificate in Paralegal Studies from the College of Saint Mary. Prior to her employment at Cockle, Kate worked in litigation, environmental and family law as a paralegal. Kate assists clients in the Document Analyst department and has worked closely with attorneys in compiling and finalizing the Joint Appendices and Merits briefs in Nos. 10-238, 10-239, Arizona Free Enterprise Club's Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett and McComish v. Bennett; No. 10-568, Nevada Commission on Ethics v. Carrigan; and 09-6822, Pepper v. United States. As an integral part of the Cockle marketing and scheduling team, Kate diligently tracks the Supreme Court's docket to keep Cockle clients abreast of Court developments, timelines, and filing strategy. Kate is also a lead proofreader and the Circuit Specialist for the Fourth, Eighth and Tenth Circuits.
Tiffany Greene
Document Analyst/Invoicing
Tiffany worked extensively with attorneys on arguably the two biggest cases of the 2008 term, assisting them with the preparation of merits briefs and joint appendices: Ricci v. DeStefano, Nos. 07-1428, 08-328, and Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District v. Holder, No. 08-322. Tiffany also compiled several Joint Appendices for the 2009 term, including Graham v. Florida, No. 08-7412; Sullivan v. Florida, No. 08-7412; City of Ontario v. Quon, No. 08-1332; and the Second Amendment case, McDonald v. City of Chicago, No. 08-1521. And in the 2010 term, Tiffany guided attorneys in filing Joint Appendices in Stern v. Marshall, No. 10-179; Kentucky v. King, No. 09-1272 and Davis v. United States, No. 09-11328.
Tiffany assists Cockle clients in the Document Analyst department and is a First and Second Circuit Specialist. Because she possesses ten years of prior accounting experience, Tiffany is also a member of the Cockle invoicing team.
Sally Petermann
Document Analyst/Corrections Specialist
Sally possesses an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Prior to joining Cockle, Sally worked for four years as the Pro Se Assistant in the Clerk’s Office for the United States District Court in Nebraska and was employed in both federal and state probation offices as a probation officer and probation officer’s assistant.
Sally is a Sixth, Ninth and Federal Circuit Specialist, and assists Cockle clients in the Document Analyst and Corrections departments.
Sean Bradley
Document Analyst/Blogger
Sean is a practicing attorney with a J.D. from Creighton University School of Law. His litigation experience includes personal injury, workers’ compensation, criminal defense, employment law, and public interest advocacy. Sean has developed and conducted clinics to assist pro se litigants represent their own interests in court. In his career, Sean provided legislative testimony and advice in support of major statutory reforms, worked as an administrative law judge, and continues to volunteer his legal services to the indigent and homeless.
Due to his extensive legal experience, Sean is able to assist Cockle clients in navigating the complexities of filing a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court. Additionally, he is a Third and Seventh Circuit Specialist and he writes about Supreme Court matters at The CockleBur.
Shon R Hopwood
Blogger/Consultant
Shon has written and prepared over 25 briefs to the United States Supreme Court. Two of the cert petitions, Shon prepared, were granted review and the story of his legal success was the subject of articles in the New York Times, American Bar Association Journal, Legal Broadcast News, and Above the Law. Shon has also written: appellate briefs in many of the Federal Circuit Courts and a law review article for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. His experience writing briefs is therefore an invaluable tool for Cockle clients.
Shon closely follows the Supreme Court's docket and writes articles about the Court and noteworthy legal developments for the CockleBur. He will attend law school as a Gates Scholar at the University of Washington in Seattle and in the spring of 2012, Crown/Random House will publish his memoir Law Man.