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Michael Hilgers
Partner Hilgers Graben PLLC
Professional Background
Michael "Mike" Hilgers is a distinguished attorney known for his exceptional contributions to the fields of litigation and discovery counsel. As the founder of Hilgers Graben PLLC, a nationally recognized boutique law firm, Mike has established a strong reputation for effectively managing litigation and discovery issues for a diverse range of clients, from small businesses to large corporations. Under his leadership, Hilgers Graben has been acknowledged for its impressive growth, earning a spot on the Inc. magazine list of 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the United States for three consecutive years. This accolade speaks volumes about the firm's commitment to excellence and client service.
Operating from his home state of Nebraska, Mike has successfully represented clients in courtrooms across various states including Oregon, Nebraska, Virginia, and Texas. His ability to navigate complex legal landscapes makes him a sought-after attorney, demonstrating a knack for strategic legal consulting that effectively supports his clients’ needs on a national scale.
Beyond his firm, Mike's career is marked by significant public service and legal expertise. He has served as the Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature and has previously held a distinguished role as a State Senator, showcasing his dedication to serving his community and engaging in civic duty. Additionally, before embarking on his journey as a private practice attorney, Mike honed his legal acumen by clerking for the Honorable Edith Brown Clement at the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, a role that provided him with invaluable insights into the judicial process.
Education and Achievements
Mike's educational background is rooted in prestigious institutions that have shaped his legal prowess. He achieved his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where he not only earned his degree but also served as an editor on the Law Review, demonstrating his strong writing and analytical skills. His commitment to academic excellence is further exemplified by his undergraduate studies at Baylor University, where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Economics.
Through the course of his education, Mike developed a strong foundation in legal theory and practice, which he has applied throughout his career. His ability to understand the intersection of law and economics gives him a unique perspective that benefits his clients in various ways, particularly in litigation strategies and financial negotiations.
Notable Contributions
Aside from founding and running a successful law firm, Mike has contributed significantly to the legal community and political landscape of Nebraska. His tenure as the Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature highlights his leadership skills and commitment to public service, where he likely navigated complex legislative measures and helped shape the policies that impact residents and businesses alike. As a former State Senator, Mike has a deep understanding of the legislative process and the importance of advocating for both his constituents and the broader legal community.
Moreover, his experience as co-founder of Gober Hilgers PLLC and as an attorney at Fish & Richardson P.C. complements his extensive portfolio and showcases his willingness to innovate within the legal space. These roles have equipped him with the experience necessary to lead his current firm with proficiency and insight.
Family and Personal Life
Outside of his professional endeavors, Mike is a dedicated family man. He resides in Nebraska with his wife, Heather, and their four children: Alice, Elsie, Clara Jane, and Michael Jr. Balancing a demanding career while nurturing a loving family is a testament to Mike's commitment to both his personal and professional life. His roots in Nebraska and active participation in family life reflect his values and priorities, helping him maintain a well-rounded lifestyle while excelling in the competitive legal field.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.