Orest B. Dachniwsky

BIOGRAPHY

Orest B. Dachniwsky is Senior Counsel in the firm’s Litigation section.

Prior to joining Kelly Hart, Orest served as Associate General Counsel in the Law Department of BNSF Railway Company. He was employed at BNSF and its predecessor companies for over 27 years and coordinated its legal response to issues that arose in operations, regulatory compliance, safety, risk management, technology, telecommunication, and corporate procurement. Previously, Orest managed and coordinated BNSF’s legal efforts relating to environmental issues, including occupational claims and tort litigation; complex commercial litigation; international business transactions; credit and collection matters; freight claims; bankruptcy issues; and negotiation and drafting purchase and maintenance agreements for locomotives.

Before he worked at BNSF, Orest practiced in the litigation department at Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly.

Orest earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law and his B.B.A, summa cum laude, from Loyola University of Chicago.  In 1999, he received his M.B.A. in Finance from Loyola University of Chicago, graduating first in his class.

AFFILIATIONS AND HONORS

• Top Attorney, 360 West magazine, 2019-2024
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Aviation, Admiralty, Maritime, and Transportation
• Top Attorney, Fort Worth Magazine, 2023
  • Commercial Litigation

EDUCATION

• University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1985
• Loyola University of Chicago, M.B.A. in Finance, 1999
  • Class Rank: 1st
  • Outstanding Graduate, 1999
• Loyola University of Chicago, B.A. in Marketing, summa cum laude, 1982

ADMISSIONS

• State Bar of Texas, 1986

SPEECHES & PUBLICATIONS

• Author, Argentina: Irrevocability of Argentine Checks. February, 1985, International Banking and Finance Law Bulletin.                                           
• Speaker, Application of Remedy Granting Provisions in Construction Contracts, Fall, 1987, Construction Education Management Corporation (Fall Seminar).
• Speaker, Customs and the Traveler, May 1988, Maricopa County Bar Association, Speaker’s Bureau (Spring Lecture Series).
• Speaker, The Defense of Diesel Exhaust Exposure Cases, Summer 1993, Buckeye Work Products Seminar on Occupational Claims.
• Speaker, Defending Occupationally Related Respiratory Claims, Summer 1994, Buckeye Work Products Seminar on Occupational Claims.
• Co-Author, Liability for Injuries to Trespassers, Sec. 4 The Second Revised Railroad Litigator’s Notebook, National Association of Railroad Litigator’s Notebook, July 1995 – 2014(1^st to 4^th eds.),
• Speaker, Occupational Disease Issues Facing The Railroad Industry, Summer 1995, Buckeye Work Products Seminar on Occupational Claims.
• Speaker, Respiratory Toxic Exposure Claims, Summer 1996, Buckeye Work Products Seminar on Occupational Claims.
• Speaker, Defense of FELA Diesel Exhaust Claims, Summer 1997, Buckeye Work Products Seminar on Occupational Claims.
• Speaker, Update on Diesel Exhaust Regulatory Issues and How They Impact FELA Claims, Summer 1998, Buckeye Work Products Seminar on Occupational Claims.
• Co-Author, The Inconsistencies of SFAS No.5 and ABA Statement of Policy (Accounting for Litigation Contingencies), Journal of Finance and Accounting Research, Volume5, Number 4, Winter, 1998. 
• Speaker, State and Federal Regulation of Grade Crossing Regulation, August 2014, International Symposium on Grade Crossing Safety.