CAREY COLLINGHAM
Berry Law Attorney
Survivor, Musician, Ourdoorsman, Dog-Rescuer, Berry Law Attorney.
Carey Collingham is passionate about helping people recover—physically, emotionally, and otherwise—from the damages done to them by someone else. Carey has personally experienced the devastating impact that injuries arising out of another person’s negligence can have on someone’s life. In response to this experience, Carey gave up a beloved career in the Nebraska nonprofit community to pursue the study of law. His mission now is to help others find ways to put their injuries behind them and move forward in pursuit of their goals. Carey is committed to vigorously advocating for anyone who has suffered the ill-effects of someone else’s negligent or intentional wrongdoing. Carey also enjoys helping clients defend and protect their goals and interests by using the tools of law to resolve everything from real estate issues to contract disputes, estate planning concerns, administrative or licensing issues, state and local government problems, and firearms-related issues.
Carey Collingham received an undergraduate degree in music performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has enjoyed professionally playing cello in many hundreds of performances around the Lincoln community over the last twenty years. However, when a distracted driver caused some nerve damage that limits his playing ability, Carey decided to dedicate himself to the study of law. When he is not at work now, Carey still enjoys playing some music, teaching a few cello students, fishing, hunting, playing with his rescue dog, working under the hood of his car, or serving our community’s nonprofits.
Work with Carey“Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything. It is the essence of order, and leads to all that is good, just and beautiful, of which it is the invisible, but nevertheless dazzling, passionate, and eternal form.” -Plato
Tabitha Robin
From Injury to Victory
Carey’s life took an unexpected turn after a car accident left him with severe injuries. The long and arduous recovery process opened his eyes to the challenges faced by accident victims. Inspired by his own struggles, Carey decided to dedicate his career to advocating for those who had suffered similar traumas.
A Lifetime Commitment to Helping Others
Carey’s compassion and desire to help others is evident in his previous career working for local nonprofits. Before Berry Law, he worked for Heartland Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Arthritis Foundation, and the National Audubon Society, where he managed special events
for schools, fundraising efforts, and developed partnerships to help them grow. Carey was (and remains) principal cellist in the Lincoln Civic Orchestra and an active community performer and teacher.
While Carey can now only play cello comfortably for 30 minutes at a time without a break, he still plays at weddings and other local events, and teaches cello in his spare time to share the beauty of music with others. Carey attributes his newfound life purpose as an attorney in part to his own lawyer at the time, who helped him realize that a compassionate and understanding defender can play a major role in someone’s recovery. Because Carey knows he never would have gotten where he is without others’ help, he takes the time to really understand his clients’ lives and desires so that he can help them achieve the best possible future. He’s proud to have a set of skills that he can use to empower others and help them develop the best new version of themselves.
An On-Stage and Outdoor Lifestyle
When Carey’s not helping clients or playing cello at local events, he can often be spotted with his wife, Amy, at music events across town. Amy shares Carey’s love for music and is a talented violinist herself, serving as concertmaster in the Lincoln Civic Orchestra when she’s not helping people as a local nurse practitioner. Carey is dedicated to sharing music with the community, and currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Lincoln Civic Orchestra. Carey takes his love for serving the community beyond just humans, following his mother’s lead by committing some of his time to local rescue shelters (and “accidentally” adopting various “fur-kids” that he loves to take with him on his many outdoor adventures). Carey enjoys being in the wilderness and is happiest when he’s out hunting or fishing with his father, getting his kayak wet, or hitting the trails with one of his rescue dogs at his side. Whatever he’s doing, Carey knows that time is best spent shared with someone else who can inspire him be the best man—and attorney—he can be. Even in his personal life, Carey believes that a satisfying victory is best accomplished together.
"I was recently in my first car accident and honestly know nothing about insurance/lawyers. [Carey] was incredibly helpful with explaining what would happen if he were to represent me or not. He was honest with saying that it’d be most beneficial for me to not work with him for now, but if my situation were to change I know I could depend on him! I appreciated that honesty and his genuine care for my best interest."
- L.H.
Credentials
Practice Areas
- Personal Injury Law
- Catastrophic Accidents
- Insurance Disputes
Bar Admissions
- Nebraska
Education
- University of Nebraska, Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, BA Music Performance, 2005
- Nebraska College of Law, 2020
Published Works
- Comment, Carey Collingham, The Damages of Caps in Nebraska, 99 Neb. L. Rev. (2020)