PCBA President DavidNelmark

Polk County Bar Association

The AdvocateFebruary/March 2019

In This IssueLuncheon to feature Judge

Gamble

Lunch, learn at these meetings

Get inside look at Iowa EventsCenter

Member Spotlight: Jo Oldson

Spread the word about Law Day

Become a Law Day sponsor

It's membership renewal time

You'll want to keep this handy

Support the VLP, get a taxdeduction

Great seats for a great show

Committee is seekingnominations

Save the date: Spring CLE

Upcoming Events

Feb. 12: PCBA Bench/Bar LuncheonMarch 12: PCBA LuncheonApril 9: PCBA LuncheonApril 12: PCBA General PracticeCLE

Meet YourRepresentatives

OfficersBoard of Directors

Board of GovernorsCommittees

Visit our Websitewww.pcbaonline.org

From the President . . . .

Lately, there has been lotsof talk and news coverageabout Iowa judges. We'vehad recent retirementsfrom the District Court,the Court of Appeals, andthe Iowa Supreme Court.With those retirementscome new applicants whoput their credentials andpersonal lives out there forscrutiny by merit selectioncommittees. Those whoare appointed through thisprocess take on a tremendous workload and aretasked with making difficult decisions that impactIowans' lives, rights, and freedoms. To all those Iowans who wear and have worn theblack robe, I say "Thank You!" As a group you are collectively held in high regard bythe members of the Iowa Bar, which is pretty amazingwhen you think about it. In our adversarial system,almost every decision you make will leave (at least)one party unhappy. Nonetheless, you are respectedand appreciated--even when attorneys caught in thethroes of advocacy forget to mention it. I went to law school out of state, and I havecoached mock trial students who went on to lawschools across the country. Accordingly, I knowlitigators in many different jurisdictions. I hear thestories about the judges they deal with, and I realizehow lucky I am to practice law in Polk County, Iowa. In Iowa, we are never asked prior to a hearing to chipinto a judge's re-election campaign. We don't have toworry that a judge's credentials are lacking andwonder if a judge got the job solely because of apolitical connection. We know that each state judgeand justice was vetted by fellow lawyers andlaypersons who took their job seriously. That takessome of the sting out of being on the wrong side of aruling. It also helps educate clients and persuadethem that they got not only their "day in court" butalso a fair shake. Although our judges deserve to have us buy themlunch, their ethical rules prohibit that. So do the nextbest thing and join them for lunch. The judges I've

Johanson

Judge ArthurGamble

___________________________

On the Move

Hendricks Nickerson

Block Lindberg

BrownWinick hashired the followingAssociateattorneys: Colin L. Hendricksreceived his J.D.,with high honorsand highdistinction, fromthe University of Iowa College of Lawand was selected for membership inthe Order of the Coif. While in lawschool, Colin served as the judicialextern for Justice Thomas D. Watermanof the Iowa Supreme Court and workedas a law clerk for the BrownWinick andKersten, Brownlee, Hendricks lawfirms. He has a general practiceincluding, but not limited to, wills,estate and succession planning,agribusiness law, and corporatebusiness transactions. Contactinformation: 515-242-2425 /hendricks@brownwinick.com. Jordan D. Nickerson received his J.D.,with honors, from Drake University LawSchool with a Health Law Certification.He was selected to be a member of theOrder of the Barristers. Prior to joiningBrownWinick as an associate, Jordanwas a law clerk at UnityPoint Healthand served as an intern at Wells FargoBank and the Iowa Attorney General'sOffice. Jordan has a general practiceincluding, but not limited to, health law,litigation and business and corporatelaw. Contact information: 515-242-2437/ nickerson@brownwinick.com . Brennan R. Block received his J.D.from the Creighton University School ofLaw, magna cum laude, with aBusiness Law Certificate in 2018. Prior

spoken with appreciate the technical advancementsof conference calls and electronic filing, but theyactually miss seeing our faces. Read more.

Luncheon to feature Judge Gamble Join us for our Annual Bench & Barluncheon on Tuesday, February12, beginning at noon at theGreater Des Moines BotanicalGarden. Our featured speaker willbe retired Chief Judge of the 5thJudicial District Arthur Gamble. Thecost is $25 in advance and $27 atthe door which includes acomplimentary admission to theBotanical Gardens for the day ofthe luncheon, during public hours. Seating is limited at this popular event so we may notbe able to accommodate walk-ins. Please make yourreservation by Thursday, February 7, if possible. Clickhere for complete details and a reservation form. Besure to let us know if you want the vegetarian lunchoption.

Lunch, learn at these meetings

All In-House counsel attorneys are invited to attendthe PCBA's Corporate Counsel Committee meeting andCLE on February 25 from noon to 1 p.m. at the ISBAConference Center. David Nelmark will discuss "IP forIn-House Counsel. (Intellectual property law)." Weanticipate approval for one hour CLE credit. Lunch willbe provided. The PCBA Bench & Bar Committee is hosting a Lunch& Learn on February 26 from noon to 1 p.m. at theISBA Conference Center on the topic of Mentoring.Speakers include: Polk County District Court ChiefJudge Michael Huppert and YLD President MaggieWhite. We anticipate one hour CLE credit. Lunch willbe provided. The PCBA Small Firm & Solo Practice Committee hasscheduled the following meetings: February 21,March 14, April 18, May 16, and June 20 at theISBA Conference Center. Lunch will be provided.Watch for details as they become available. Please RSVP to Sonja Diener or phone 243-3904 ifyou plan to attend any of these meetings.

Get inside look at Iowa Events Center

Join us for our monthly luncheon on Tuesday, March12, at noon at the Iowa Event Center where ourguest speaker will be Chris Connolly, general managerof the Iowa Events Center (which oversees WellsFargo Arena, Hy-Vee Hall, and the Community Choice

Kennedy

Jo Oldson

to joining BrownWinick as anassociate, Brennan obtained a diverselegal background working as a lawclerk for Union Pacific RailroadCompany's real estate group, asummer associate for AbrahamsKaslow & Cassman LLP and as a clerkfor Welsh & Welsh PC, LLO. He has ageneral practice, including, but notlimited to, entity formation, corporategovernance, contract drafting, mergersand acquisitions, securities, growthcapital, startups, real estate, utilitiesand environmental law. Contactinformation: 515-242-2441 /block@brownwinick.com . Jennifer E. Lindberg received her J.D.,summa cum laude, from DePaulUniversity College of Law in 2011. Priorto joining BrownWinick, Jennifer wasthe Health Insurance ComplianceOfficer for the Iowa Insurance Division.She was also an associate attorney atthe Kanaris, Stubenvoll & Heiss, P.C.law firm in Chicago, Illinois. Jenniferpractices primarily in the litigation area.Contact information: 515-242-2449 /lindberg@brownwinick.com . Kirsten E. Johanson received her J.D.from the University of Minnesota LawSchool in 2016. Prior to joiningBrownWinick, Kirsten was an associateattorney at Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty &Bennett in St Cloud and Minneapolis,Minnesota. She practices primarily inthe areas of estate planning, businesssuccession planning, and taxation law.Contact information: 515-242-2473 /johanson@brownwinick.com.

--- Intellectual PropertyAttorney JonathanL. Kennedy hasbecome an officialMember of McKee,Voorhees & Sease,PLC (MVS).Jonathan began hiscareer at MVS inSeptember of 2012.His practice hasspanned intellectual property law,including, with transactional andlitigation work in patents, trademarks,copyrights, and trade secrets. Sincethen, Jonathan has focused hispractice in patent prosecution andintellectual property litigation. He hasrepresented a wide-variety of clientsincluding Fortune 500 companies,universities, start-ups, and individualinventors. Jonathan's patent practicefocuses on inventions related tochemistry, nanotechnology, andmaterials science.

--- Whitfield & Eddy Law has announcedthe following new hires:

Credit Union Convention Center). Tickets are $25 inadvance and $27 at the door. Click here for completedetails and a reservation form.

Member Spotlight: Jo Oldson

This is the latest in a series of features spotlighting PCBAmembers. If you would like to nominate a fellow PCBAmember for future spotlights, contact Joni Ploeger. Tell us about yourselfI grew up in Eagle Grove Iowaand graduated high schoolthere. I came to Des Moines toattend Drake University andgraduated with a B.A. inPolitical Science/PublicAdministration. After college Iworked in the financial servicesindustry for several years.During that time, Drake starteda program for people workingfull-time to attend law schoolpart- time. I attended the firstyear equivalent over two yearsand then completed my last two years going full time.During my last year in law school, I completed aninternship with the Iowa Insurance Commissioner'soffice and was offered a regulatory compliance jobupon graduation. I left the Commissioner's office in1998 to work on newly-elected Governor Vilsack'sstaff. After leaving the Governor's office, I ran for theIowa House of Representatives and have beenserving in the House since January, 2003. Some notable achievementsOn the professional level, I am very proud to havebeen the first female representative to chair theHouse Appropriations Committee and during thattenure we established statewide universal preschool.I am currently serving as the Democratic MinorityWhip. I have also served in a number of volunteercapacities in the community and was honored by theYoung Women's Resource Center as one of therecipients of its Visionary Woman award. What is it like to be a lawyer-legislator?In Iowa we have a part-time citizen legislature. Assuch, we each come in with different skills and lifeexperiences and demands on our time. As is true formany professions, the law has its own language andlawyers bring a particular training and understandingof that language. Lawyers serving in the legislaturefrequently have to balance the demands of a busyday at the Capitol with maintaining a law practice. Thoughts on November 2018 election resultsOne of the highlights of the November election is thatfor the first time in Iowa history, House Democratsbecame the first caucus-either chamber, eitherparty-to have a majority of female members. Readmore ....

Harris

Goudlock

Oskvig

Pietila

Danni J. Harrishas joined the firmas a MemberAttorney in theFamily Lawpractice group. Shecounsels clientsregardingdissolution ofmarriage, custodyand visitation,domestic abuse, termination ofparental rights, adoption, and generalfamily law litigation.Prior to practicinglaw in Iowa, Danni focused on criminalprosecution and family law cases inDallas, Texas. Upon her return to Iowain 2008, Danni served victims ofdomestic violence in the Women'sEqual Justice Project and as theViolence Against Women Act attorney atIowa Legal Aid.

Gary Goudelockhas joined thefirm's Litigationpractice group. Hehas nearly 15 yearsof wide-ranginglegal experiencerepresentingindividuals, localgovernments, and

companies of all sizes in trial workacross the State of Iowa. Garypreviously practiced law as anAssociate Attorney at the firm beforejoining the City of Des Moines as anAssistant City Attorney and SeniorLitigator. Most recently, he was theManaging Attorney with Nationwide'sTrial Division. Kay Oskvig hasjoined the firm asan AssociateAttorney in thefirm's Labor &Employment Lawpractice group.Prior to joining thefirm, she served inprivate practice andcorporate in-house roles sincegraduating from law school. Sheearned her law degree with distinctionin 2014 at the University of IowaCollege of Law and was an editor of theIowa Law Review.

---

Davis Brownattorney JohnPietila has beenelected by his peersto serve as thefirm's newpresident. Currentlychair of the

Telecommunications Department,John had previously served on the

Spread the word about Law Day Each year, thePCBA and ARAG®invites students ingrades K through12 from schoolsthroughout theDes Moines areato take part in ourLaw Day competition in the Coloring, Poster, Essay,Poetry, Visual Arts, Technology, Music and Dramacategories. The 2019 theme is Free Press, FreeSpeech, Free Society.

This year's winning students, their teachers, andparents will be recognized at a luncheon and awardsceremony at the Judicial Branch Building on May 1.This is a wonderful opportunity for families to interactwith local judges and attorneys in a positiveenvironment. Please help us spread the word andencourage students and teachers to get involved inthis program. The deadline for all entries is March 29.Click here for complete details and entry forms.

Become a Law Day sponsor For just $100, you or your firm can sponsor a winningstudent in our Law Day competition. In addition tothe goodwill sponsorship generates, it also includes avariety of perks. For example, sponsors or theirdesignee can present the award to their studentsduring a special ceremony, which will be held on May1 in the courtroom of the Iowa Supreme Court.Sponsors will also be recognized in the writtenprogram and receive a photograph with theirsponsored student. And, sponsors are invited tonetwork with students during a lunch in the LightCourt prior to the awards ceremony.

In addition to the awards presentation, the Law Dayobservance will include special guest speakers fromthe judiciary, legislative, and executive branch.

Click here for complete details and a sponsorshipsign-up form. Sponsorship contributions must bereceived by April 20. If you need additionalinformation, please contact the committee co-chairsStephanie Marett at slm@nyemaster.com or 515-283-3179; or Kala Anderson atkala.anderson@araglegal.com or 319-931-6069.

It's membership renewal time One of the best things you can do for your career isto belong to the Polk County Bar Association. YourPCBA membership entitles you to FREE CLE seminarsto sharpen your skills, monthly luncheons to explorecurrent issues, access to the court-sponsored

Hilligas

firm's Board of Directors from 2012-2017 including terms as secretary andvice-president. He replaces Gene LaSuer in the role, which he had heldsince 2013.

Richards Hanson

Coryell Haaland

In addition, Mike Richards was re-elected to the 2019 Board where hejoins Chris Jannes, Scott Brennan,and Courtney Strutt Todd. Associateand special counsel attorneys alsovoted Maggie Hanson to serve as theirrepresentative to the Board. And,Shareholders also voted to promotetwo of their colleagues to shareholder:Matt Coryell, intellectual propertyattorney, and Ryan Haaland, abusiness attorney practicing in thefirm's Ames office.

--- Ahlers & Cooney, P.C.recently electedthe following attorneys asshareholders:

Aaron Hilligas is amember of thefirm's Public LawPractice Area,servingmunicipalities,higher educationand K-12educationalinstitutions. He

advises clients on a variety of labor andemployment related matters andrepresents employers in collectivebargaining contract negotiations. Priorto Ahlers & Cooney, Aaron worked inthe Office of the General Counsel forthe National Labor Relations Board(NLRB) in Washington, DC. Rebecca Reif is amember of thefirm's Public andPrivate LawPractice Areas,

mediation program, news and information you can'tget anywhere else, discounts on programs andservices, and much, much more.

Click here to learn more and to download theenrollment form. And don't forget that you or you firmcan use a credit card or send us a check to pay yourdues.

You'll want to keep this handy

The latest Polk County Courts phone chart has beenreleased and we have it available for PCBA members.You can have courtroom assignments, phonenumbers, and court attendant and court reportercontacts for each judge at your fingertips just byclicking here and downloading the chart. Member login required.

Support the VLP, get a tax deduction Consider making a contribution to the Polk County BarAssociation Volunteer Lawyers Project. Not only willyou be doing a great service to the community, butyou will also be able to get a tax deduction on your2019 returns. The PCBA VLP is a charitable organization establishedwith the mission of providing legal services to lowincome residents of Polk County. With your help,PCBA VLP is one of the most successful volunteerlawyer programs in the country, with Polk Countylawyers donating approximately 5,000 hours of theirtime annually. Unfortunately, demand for PCBA VLPservices has never been higher while our fundingcontinues to decline. To help make it easier tosupport our efforts, And it's never been easier to donate. The PCBA VLPnow offers you the ability to make donations on amonthly, quarterly, or annual basis and you can use acredit card. Click here for more information and thedonation form.

Great seats for a great show One of the many benefitsof belonging to the PCBAis the discounts weprovide on programsoffered by Des MoinesPerforming Arts. Forexample, we havereserved three tables atthe front of the house (four persons per table) forMen are from Mars, Women are from Venus onTuesday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Temple Theater.Tickets are $39 each. If you are interested, send an

Reif

Stone

Vaught

Rima

with a focus onEmployment Law,Education Law,and Litigation. Inthe area ofemployment law,Becky servesclients in strategicplanning andlitigation related toemployment relationships. For clientsin the education practice, Becky servesin both advisory and advocacycapacities. Kristine Stonefocuses her practiceas part of the firm'sGovernment LawPractice Area,representing cities,counties, utilities,and other publicentities in theexercise of theirpowers and inlitigation. Prior to joining the Ahlers firm,Kristine served as the City Attorney forthe City of Bettendorf, Iowa, and as anAssistant City Attorney for the City ofAmes, Iowa.

Lindsay Vaughtpractices primarilyin the areas ofEmployment Lawand Litigation. Sheworks closely withboth public andprivate clients,includinginstitutions of

higher education. Lindsay counselsemployers on various employment lawmatters, and in defending variousclaims of retaliation, discrimination andharassment, as well as defendingadministrative complaints.

--- Wendy Rima hasjoined Stamatelos& Associates asan associateattorney practicingin family law,juvenile law, andmediation. Wendyearned her J.D.from DrakeUniversity LawSchool in 2018 with highest honorsand was admitted to the Iowa Bar inSeptember 2018. While in law school,Wendy worked in Drake's Children'sRights Clinic and was the recipient ofthe 2018 Marsha Ternus OutstandingChild Advocate Award at Drake'sSupreme Court Banquet and looksforward to continuing working in thearea of child advocacy.

Kudos

email to Sonja Diener or call 243-3904.

Committee is seeking nominations A Nominating Committee has been appointedconsisting of the following immediate past presidentsof the Polk County Bar Association: William J. Miller,Chair; Bridget Penick, Nathan Overberg, Emily Chafa,Bill Boyd, and Anjela Shutts. The Committee willprovide nominations for the officers of the Association(president-elect, vice president, secretary andtreasurer), the Board of Directors, andrepresentatives to the Board of Governors of theIowa State Bar Association. The Committee may alsodetermine recipients of the Polk County BarAssociation Award of Merit for any members whohave made outstanding contributions to the PolkCounty Bar Association. Any member may submit suggestions for theCommittee's consideration by contacting William J.Miller, Polk County Bar Association, 625 E. CourtAvenue, Suite 100, Des Moines, IA 50309. Membersmay also contact Bill by telephone at 699-3281 oremail miller.william@dorsey.com. Please make your suggestions to the Committee byMarch 15. The election will be held at the AnnualMeeting of Members on May 14 at the ISBAConference Center, 625 E. Court Avenue, Suite 100,in Des Moines.

Save the date: Spring CLE Mark your calendar nowso you don't miss ourSpring General PracticeCLE on Friday, April 12, atthe Downtown MarriottHotel. This event is FREEfor current members.(There is a $25 charge for printed materials, but theywill also be posted in the Members Only area of ourwebsite following the event). We anticipate approvalfor 7.5 State CLE credit hours. And while you're at it,make a note that the Fall General Practice CLE isscheduled for Friday, Nov. 22, at the DowntownMarriott Hotel.

Rickert

Attorney BrianRickert of theBrownWinick LawFirm was for thesecond year in arow named toSuper Lawyers"Top 10: 2018 IowaSuper LawyersList" for Iowa. Brianworks out of BrownWinick's DesMoines office. His legal practicefocuses on litigation of matters forpublic and private businesses, andindividuals in a variety of areasincluding agribusiness, construction,employment, energy, environmental,and real estate, among others. He isalso Chairman of the firm'sconstruction law practice group.

Don't miss an opportunity to shareyour news and specialannouncements with fellow PCBAMembers! Click here.