Announcements

On Friday, Aug. 12, the new Iowa State Bar Association website will go live! Visitors will still go to the same web address: iowabar.org, but it will look much different and provide an improved user experience. To help members navigate the new site, the ISBA staff created a series of videos including:

- How to login to the new ISBA website
- How to update your member profile
- How to register for a CLE event
- How to use eCommunities

Enjoy your new ISBA online experience and please reach out with any questions at 515-243-3179 or isba@iowabar.org.

The ISBA Young Lawyers Division encourages all Iowa attorneys to join them for a day on the links at the Justice Fore All Golf Tournament at the Amana Colonies Golf Club on Sept. 9. 

The tournament is a four-person best ball scramble-formatted golf event. Registration includes a warm-up at the driving range, golf carts and green fees, two beverage tickets for each participant and a catered luncheon with an awards ceremony and prizes available following the tournament. All profits will be donated to legal non-profits in Iowa. 

The August issue of The Iowa Lawyer magazine is now available online. The cover feature is "2022 Annual Meeting in Review: A Look Back." Also in this issue:

- Get to know new ISBA Vice President Melvin Shaw
- Dive into a statistical review of the 2021-2022 Iowa Supreme Court term
- Hear about an Iowa lawyer's nontraditional path to law school
- Gain insights from an Iowa attorney on what it means to be an elder in the law
- Find out about changes to Iowa's public projects law

On behalf of The Iowa State Bar Association and contributors, we hope you enjoy this issue of The Iowa Lawyerr.

 

The Judicial Conference of the United States has authorized the appointment of a full-time United States magistrate judge for the Southern District of Iowa. The position will be based in Des Moines. The current annual salary of the position is $205,528. The term of office is eight years.

Magistrate judge duties are demanding and wide-ranging and include: (1) conduct of most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases; (2) trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases; (3) conduct of various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings on delegation from a district judge; and (4) trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants.

The Law Museum of Iowa is now open. The fully functional private courtroom at Law Group of Iowa, 7900 Hickman Road, Windsor Heights, has a primary focus to educate people about the constitutional right to trial by jury. Exhibits include Iowa Law, Justice Around the World and Law in Advertising. Check out the museum website for more information or call to confirm hours for an in-person visit: 515-556-IOWA.

During an ISBA Board of Governors meeting last December, ISBA Assistant Executive Director Harry Shipley gained approval from the board to transition the current ISBA website and back-end account management system to a new provider. Since then, the ISBA Account Management System Committee and all ISBA staff have been working diligently to provide members an improved online experience.

ISBA Marketing Director Chris Fritz shares, "The new ISBA website is a gift to our members, so we want it to be the best gift possible."

Now, the countdown is on! In the upcoming days, you will see some of what the new website will look like along with regular updates on its progress.

The Iowa Supreme Court began its administrative term on July 1 with the last day of the 2021-2022 adjudicative term ending on June 30. 

During the adjudicative term, there were 107 cases submitted to the court. All opinions are now archived and are available on the Iowa Judicial Branch Supreme Court Opinions webpage. Oral argument videos, case briefs, attorney names and the Iowa Court of Appeals decisions from further review cases can be found on the Iowa Judicial Branch website by searching for the case name or number on the site's search function.

The court may schedule oral arguments for attorney ethics cases during the administrative term and will continue to consider and dispose of applications for further review. This is also when the supreme court focuses on the operations of the judicial branch. The 2022-2023 adjudicative term begins Sept. 1.

The Iowa State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division is seeking to fill district representative openings that are currently available in the following areas:

- District 3A
- District 5A (1-year term)
- District 5B (1-year term)
- District 8B 

Members of the Iowa bar that have not yet attained 36 years of age and those that are older than 36 but practicing law for 10 years or less are encouraged to apply and serve as a representatives for their district. The YLD does not focus on a specific substantive area of law; instead it strives to stimulate and cultivate the interest of lawyers both in the profession and in their communities. Contact YLD President Kyle Fry at kyle.fry@gmail.com or 515-473-8234.

The Iowa State Bar Association communications department encourages ISBA members to submit their articles or story leads for future publication in The Iowa Lawyer magazine.

Have you presented a CLE in which relevant information may also serve to educate others? Did you take a case of first impression and win? What experience have you had that can benefit other Iowa attorneys? The tentative editorial calendar for the magazine is below to help determine if your idea aligns with the issue's theme:

• August - Supreme Court Term in Review or Advice from the Bench
• September - Wellness
• October - Pro Bono Month
• November - Honoring Lawyer Veterans
• December/January - Giving Back

Authored articles can be submitted in Word document format with an author(s) headshot(s) and one-to-two sentence corresponding biography to communications@iowabar.org. If you have any questions or would like to discuss a story idea, please call 515-697-7896.

The Iowa Supreme Court has approved $241,373.17 in grants to non-profit programs that provide legal assistance to low-income Iowans with civil legal problems. The court awarded grants to 11 different organizations throughout Iowa. The grants are funded by the Interest on Lawyers' Trust Account (IOLTA) program. With this year's grants, the supreme court has awarded more than $25 million in IOLTA grants since the program began on July 1, 1985. Visit the Iowa Judicial Branch webpage for more information and to view the grants to be awarded for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and ending June 30, 2023.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa is requesting comments about the reappointment of Magistrate Judge Stephen Jackson whose term is due to expire on Feb. 1, 2023. The district court is required by law to establish a panel of citizens to consider a reappointment of the magistrate judge to a new eight-year term.

The duties of a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Iowa include the following:

• Conduct of most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases;
• Trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases;
• Conduct of various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings on delegation from a district judge; and
• Trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants.

Comments from members of the bar and the public are invited as to whether the incumbent magistrate judge should be recommended by the panel for reappointment by the court. Electronically submit comments to MJreappointment@iasd.uscourts.gov, or mail comments to Clerk of Court, 123 East Walnut, Ste. 300, Des Moines, IA 50309. Comments must be received by July 15.

LawPay, the ISBA’s preferred payment partner, is offering members a special offer during the month of June. Members who sign up by June 30 will receive a $100 Visa gift card and three months of LawPay with no monthly fee.

With LawPay, Iowa attorneys can offer their clients the convenience of paying online via credit card, debit card or eCheck. Users also have the power to correctly separate earned and unearned fees and protect their IOLTA accounts from third-party debiting. Enjoy the peace of mind that only comes with using a payment solution developed exclusively for law firms.

The Iowa Supreme Court requests further public comment regarding proposed amendments to Chapter 2, Iowa Rules of Criminal Procedure. The Criminal Rules Task Force will also hold a public session providing those who submit comments an opportunity to speak on Aug. 5. The deadline for submitting comments is 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 22. If you wish to speak at the public session, please indicate that along with your comments.

Attendees of the 2022 ISBA Annual Meeting have more than 60 hours of state CLE available to them during the five-day conference. In addition to the state hours, various amounts of diversity, ethics, juvenile and wellness CLE credit may be earned. These program highlights include:

- Juneteenth: Commemoration and Celebration (1 Diversity CLE)
- Raising Awareness: Pride, Pronouns and Gender Identity 101 (1 Diversity CLE)
- Ethics: Trust Accounts (1 Ethics CLE)
- Assessing Legal Capacity and Ethics in Working with Older Adults (1.50 Ethics CLE)
- Practice Tips on Assessment of Legal Capacity and the Ethical Rules (1 Ethics CLE)
- We’re a Self-Regulating Profession: Meet the Prosecutors of the Attorney Disciplinary Board (1 Ethics CLE)
- Juvenile Case Law Update (1 Juvenile CLE)
- Disproportionate Minority Contact (1 Juvenile CLE)
- How to Use Fitness and Nutrition to Deter and Respond to Mental Health Issues in the Practice of Law (1.50 Wellness CLE)

After two years of virtual annual meetings, this year’s conference will take place both virtually and in-person. From June 20-22, the CLE program will be held virtually and on June 23-24, attendees will participate in-person at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ankeny. Early-bird registration ends June 16. After this date, a $50 fee will be added to any in-person registrations.

Note: Maximum number of in-person state CLE credit available is 8.50. Maximum number of live webinar state CLE credit available is 20.25. 

The June issue of The Iowa Lawyer magazine is now available online. The cover story features incoming ISBA President Henry Hamilton III. Get to know him, his professional background and his vision for the future of the association.

In this month's magazine, you will also learn tips on navigating social media discovery and enjoy creative writing from Hon. Robert J. Blink and Russ Ipsa. Additionally, you will hear from outgoing President Anjie Shutts in her final president's letter and see the ISBA Sustaining and Cornerstone members being recognized by the ISBA.

Note: If you do not currently receive the printed magazine in the mail and would like to, please email communications@iowabar.org or call 515-697-7896.

The 2022 ISBA Annual Meeting is scheduled for June 20-24. This year’s CLE program includes educational tracks dedicated to the practice areas of probate, family law and more. Highlighted probate and family law presentations include:

- Premarital Agreements and Estate Planning - Stephanie Fueger
- Planning for Inflation Risk and Volatility - Michel Nelson and Chris Cook
- The SECURE Act - Matthew Gardner
- IAble Accounts - Jana Weiler
- Family Law Update - James Meade
- Alternative Dispute Resolution Options - Stacey Warren, Allison Heffern, Diane Dornburg, Lora McCollom and Kristen Boldt
- When Legal Custodians Disagree - Lora McCollom, Hon. Laura Parrish, Hon. Margaret Popp Reyes, Hon. Terry Rickers and Hon. Elisabeth Reynoldson
- Juvenile Case Law Update - Ellen Ramsey-Kacena and Mary Triick

After two years of virtual annual meetings, this year’s conference will take place both virtually and in person. From June 20-22, the CLE program will be held virtually and on June 23-24, attendees will participate in person at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ankeny. 

Event organizers have applied for more than 25 hours of CLE credit which includes diversity, ethics, juvenile and wellness credit. 

When you renew your ISBA membership online by Tuesday, June 7, you will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win an ISBA CLE Season Pass, a $600 value - and basically free CLE for a year!

Simply log in to the iowabar.org website and you will automatically be directed to your Manage Profile page where the “renew your membership now” link appears at the top. The winner will be notified and announced on June 8.

Please email membership@iowabar.org or call 515-697-7870 with any questions.

Iowa Supreme Court Justice Brent Appel has announced his upcoming retirement effective on July 13 when he turns 72, which is the state's mandatory retirement age for judges. Justice Appel has served on the supreme court since 2006 when he was appointed by Governor Tom Vilsack.

The State Judicial Nominating Commission is now accepting applications until June 17 for the vacancy created by Justice Appel’s retirement. For more information, view the official notice to candidates.  

Join Iowa’s legal community on June 20-24 for the 2022 ISBA Annual Meeting. After two years of virtual annual meetings, this year’s conference will take place both virtually and in person. From June 20-22, the CLE program will be held virtually. On June 23-24, attendees will participate in person at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ankeny.

This year’s annual meeting CLE program includes educational tracks dedicated to the practice areas of probate, family law, litigation, ag law, real estate and more. Highlighted presentations throughout the five-day conference include:

• Issues of Interest from the Appellate Rules Task Force - Justice Dana Oxley, Hon. David May and Tyler Buller
• Family and Juvenile Law Legislative Update - Jennifer Dorman
• Assessing Legal Capacity and Ethics in Working with Older Adults - David Godfrey
• Effective Cross-Examination - Shital Thakkar
• Homestead in Iowa Real Estate Transactions - Tim Gartin
• Ag Law Update - Kristine Tidgren
• View from the Bench - Chief Bankruptcy Judge Thad Collins, Judge Lee Jackwig and Judge Anita Shodeen

The complete CLE agendas for each day can be found here:
Monday, June 20
Tuesday, June 21
Wednesday, June 22
Thursday, June 23
Friday, June 24

In addition, the Iowa Judicial Branch will be holding its annual conference in conjunction with the ISBA annual meeting on Thursday and Friday. Event organizers and ISBA leadership encourage all legal professionals to participate in this year's annual meeting.  

QUESTIONS
Contact the ISBA CLE Department at cle@iowabar.org or 515-697-7874.

ISBA members should watch their email inbox this week for messaging from the ISBA including a ballot for the election of ISBA officers serving for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. The ISBA Board of Governors voted on nominees for the new officer positions for the 2022-2023 year during the spring quarterly meeting. On the ballot, you will see that the current Vice President Ian Russell was nominated as the president-elect nominee and Melvin Shaw was nominated as incoming vice president.

During the annual meeting, current ISBA President Anjela Shutts will be turning over the presidency to ISBA President-elect Henry Hamilton III. The person in the role of president-elect automatically ascends to serve as president for the next year.

The ballot will also include the ISBA BOG nominee re-elected for ABA Delegate, David L. Brown. There are currently four ABA Delegates designated in Iowa. David L. Brown and Jane Lorentzen are delegates designated as representatives of the ISBA. Both serve two-year terms with alternating years for re-election. Alan Olson is the current ABA delegate for the State of Iowa, serving a four-year term, and Kay Oskvig is the ISBA Young Lawyers Division ABA delegate.

Iowa’s legal professionals are invited to attend The Iowa State Bar Association Awards Gala, Joint Presidents Reception and Young Lawyers Division Luau in the Lot during the 2022 ISBA Annual Meeting (June 20-24). The social events will take place in-person and offer attendees the opportunity to reconnect and establish new relationships with fellow members of Iowa’s legal community.

The ISBA Awards Gala takes place on June 22 in Des Moines. The black-tie-optional gala consists of dinner, the annual awards ceremony and the passing of the gavel for both the ISBA senior bar and Young Lawyers Division. The cost to attend the gala is $60.

On June 23, join the ISBA and Iowa Judges Association presidents at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ankeny for the complimentary Joint Presidents Reception. The event will directly follow the completion of the day’s CLE program.

Taking place in the ISBA Building parking lot on the night of June 23, the complimentary YLD Luau in the Lot is back by popular demand according to YLD officers. Live music, various refreshments, summer treats and a relaxed atmosphere can be expected by attendees at this casual event.

Complimentary events are available to registered attendees of the 2022 ISBA Annual Meeting. 

The May issue of The Iowa Lawyer magazine is now available online. The cover story written by ISBA Annual Meeting Committee Co-Chairs Chris Moon and Kathy Law provides a preview of this year's annual meeting with a warm welcome back to in-person attendees.

In this month's magazine, you will also hear an update from YLD Diversity and Inclusion Committee Co-Chair Gabriel Walsh as the YLD DEI pledge celebrates its one-year anniversary. Learn about actions taken and reports provided at the spring Board of Governors meeting. Also, get to know Iowa District Court Judge David Nelmark as he shares details about his new guide to mock trials and more.  

The ISBA is seeking law firm sponsors for social events and CLE tracks taking place at this year's Annual Meeting (June 20-24). 

Social events available for sponsorship include:
- ISBA Awards Gala
- Young Lawyers Division Luau in the Lot
- Joint Presidents Reception
- Thursday Luncheon

Law firms can also sponsor individual CLE tracks or session breaks scheduled throughout the five-day conference. These tracks include but are not limited to:
- Probate
- Real Estate
- Family Law
- Ag Law
- Young Lawyers Division
- Judges

Become a sponsor of Iowa's largest legal conference today at www.iowabar.org/AMsponsor.

QUESTIONS?
Contact the ISBA CLE Department at cle@iowabar.org or 515-697-7874.

From May 11-13, all legal practitioners in Iowa are invited to attend the Bench-Bar Conference in Sioux City. According to the organizers, there’s no better way to experience the connection between Iowa judges and lawyers than at this biannual conference.

This year's list of distinguished guests includes:

• Chief Justice Susan Christensen, Iowa Supreme Court
• Justice Matthew McDermott, Iowa Supreme Court
• Hon. David Odekirk, Incoming President, Iowa Judges Association
• Anjie Shutts, President, The Iowa State Bar Association
• Kristen Shaffer, President, Young Lawyers Division
• Jerry Anderson, Dean, Drake University Law School
• Kevin Washburn, Dean, University of Iowa College of Law
• Robert Scott, Mayor, Sioux City

In addition to the CLE programming scheduled during the three-day conference, a variety of social events are planned including an art class and a golf outing at the Arnold Palmer designed course at the Dakota Dunes Golf Country Club.

The program has been approved for 8 state CLE hours which includes 7.25 wellness hours. The deadline to make hotel reservations at the Courtyard by Marriott in Sioux City is April 29. Visit the event page for complete information and to register.

By Dwight Dinkla, ISBA Executive Director

As a member of the ISBA, you are now able to renew your dues online for 2022-2023. Simply log in to the iowabar.org website and you will automatically be directed to your Manage Profile page where the “renew your membership now” link appears at the top. We will be sending hard copy renewal notices in May.

We hope that over the last year you saw the value of your ISBA membership and what it can do to help you and your practice meet every challenge. Our staff and the volunteer leaders of the ISBA worked tirelessly to provide new programs and services to guide members through the COVID-19 crisis, including remote CLEs, free informational webinars, new text guides and resources, cybersecurity support, advocacy at the Capitol, mental health support and more. The ISBA strives to provide you with the tools, training and community to succeed, as well as the advocacy to elevate the entire profession.

We hope you will choose to remain a valued part of our membership association into the new fiscal year. We also hope you will consider becoming a Sustaining or Cornerstone member of the ISBA to help us further our mission of supporting Iowa lawyers, the court system and civic education programs statewide.

Please contact me about other ways the bar can support you. If you have questions about your membership, contact membership@iowabar.org.

Dwight Dinkla, ISBA Executive Director
ddinkla@iowabar.org

The ISBA thanks all 347 respondents to the recent member survey regarding the Iowa Lawyer Weekly newsletter. A couple of themes emerged from your feedback: 1) the majority (82%) ranked timely and legal news specific to Iowa as the most desired information, and 2) more frequent ISBA affirmative legislative program updates were requested. Plans are underway to include these suggestions and act on your feedback.

This month's survey focuses on The Iowa Lawyer magazine. Be sure to enter the Choose Your Charity drawing in which a random winner will be selected from respondents who will get to choose a charity of their choice to receive a $100 donation from the ISBA (charity selection pending ISBA approval). The winner will be featured in ISBA communications and social posts announcing the charity of his or her choice. This is your Iowa Lawyer magazine, so please let your voice be heard!

Join Iowa’s legal community on June 20-24 for the 2022 ISBA Annual Meeting. After two years of virtual annual meetings, this year’s conference is back in-person on Thursday, June 23, and Friday, June 24. The two days of in-person CLE programming follow the virtual program scheduled for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Event organizers and ISBA leadership encourage all legal professionals to participate in this year's annual meeting – no matter their attendance preference. The ISBA looks forward to seeing familiar and new faces while offering five days of premium CLE programming and engaging social events including the ISBA Awards Gala, Joint Presidents Reception and Young Lawyers Division Luau in the Lot.

Additionally, the Iowa Judicial Branch will be holding its annual conference in conjunction with the ISBA Annual Meeting on Thursday and Friday – making the conference the place to be for Iowa's lawyers and judges. Visit the official 2022 ISBA Annual Meeting event page.

The Iowa State Bar Foundation board of directors approved eight grant requests, reviewed and approved the treasurer’s report and received information about the new foundation website and donation process at its quarterly meeting on March 22. The meeting, which was held in person at the ISBA headquarters building and via Zoom, is the only meeting each year when directors review grant requests and approve awards.

Grant awards issued included:
- $10,000 for the Cady Learning Center Foundation
- $4,000 for Justice 101
- $3,500 for the Iowa Center for Children’s Justice
- $10,000 for Iowa Legal Aid
- $40,000 for the Mock Trial programs administered by the ISBA Center for Law and Civic Education
- $15,000 for the ISBA Young Lawyers Division Know Your Constitution program
- $5,000 for the Indian Hills Community College’s startup court reporter program, with the grant subject to several conditions the college must meet
- $5,000 for the Kids First Law Center

The money available for grants was up this year due to increased fundraising and better than expected returns from assets, ISBA Assistant Executive Director Harry Shipley told the directors.

The Juvenile Law Seminar and Criminal Law Seminar both take place next week, and event organizers encourage practitioners in these fields to participate.

The Juvenile Law Seminar is scheduled for April 7 with its programing focused on legal professionals practicing in the areas of juvenile and family law. Topics of interest include:

• Juvenile Case Law Update
• The Harm of Child Removal 
• Children Charged as Adults: The Importance of Litigating Reverse Waiver
• The Department of Human Services Approach to Drug Testing

On April 8, the Criminal Law Seminar takes place and features timely topics for both prosecutors and defense attorneys including:

• Criminal Law Update
• Department of Corrections and Sentences
• Rules of Evidence
• From Sarajevo to Kiev: Investigating, Prosecuting and Defending International War Crimes with featured speaker Theresa Weeg

The Juvenile Law Seminar has been approved for 7.50 state hours which includes 1 ethics and 6.50 juvenile law hours. The Criminal Law Seminar has been approved for 6.75 state hours which includes one wellness hour. Those interested in the seminars can register for both at a discounted rate. Both seminars allow attendees to participate in-person at the ISBA Building in Des Moines or via a live webinar option.

QUESTIONS
Please contact the ISBA CLE Department at cle@iowabar.org or 515-697-7874.

The Iowa High School Mock Trial State Tournament will be held in Des Moines at the Iowa Events Center (Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center) on Thursday and Friday, March 31 - April 1, with the semi-finals and championship trials on Saturday, April 2 at the Polk County Courthouse.

There are still a minimum of 32 judges needed for each trial round:
- Round 1: Thursday, March 31, at 3 p.m. (we have 25 judges registered, need seven more)
- Round 2: Friday, April 1, at 9 a.m. (we have 22 judges registered, need 10 more)
- Round 3: Friday, April 1, at 1:30 p.m. (we have 28 judges registered, need four more)

Sign up online today or email John Wheeler at jwheeler@iowabar.org with your availability. All volunteers will receive a confirmation email including logistical information and a parking pass. Volunteer judges are also welcome to attend the "Margs After Mocks" appreciation event hosted by the Young Lawyers Division on Friday, April 1 at 4 p.m. at Rita's Cantina in Des Moines.

The ISBA Board of Governors quarterly meeting was held on March 23 in Des Moines. Nominations and voting for ISBA president-elect, vice president, and ABA delegate took place. District 6 Representative Melvin Shaw, Coralville, was selected as the board’s nominee for vice president. Ian Russell, Davenport, was selected as the board’s nominee for president-elect and David L. Brown, Des Moines, as the board’s nominee for ABA delegate. These names will be presented to the membership later this spring to be voted upon. 

Executive Director Dwight Dinkla reported that the Appellate Practice Committee has prepared a new appellate practice manual which will be available to ISBA members in late April.

ISBA Assistant Executive Director Harry Shipley shared a proposal from the ISBA buildings' neighbor, Collins Credit Union, regarding expanding their facility on the west side of the ISBA building. For the credit union to proceed, it would need to purchase the ISBA’s land adjacent to the ISBA building and the necessary ingress and egress. The Board of Governors voted to authorize senior bar staff and a Commercial Real Estate attorney to negotiate acceptable terms with Collins Credit Union. The final negotiation will be presented to the administrative committee for final approval.

The board voted to approve funding for a part-time ISBA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Director staff position. The DEI Director will be responsible for overseeing and facilitating the ISBA’s efforts to lead diversity and inclusion efforts within the ISBA and in the legal profession, particularly in Iowa, through educational programming and outreach.

ISBA Past-President Cindy Moser, Sioux City, announced that the Bench Bar Conference will take place May 11 – 13 in Sioux City with a focus on wellness.

Please join the ISBA YLD and law students for a night of virtual trivia on Wednesday, April 6, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sign up with trivia teams of four-to-seven people or as an individual looking to join with other practicing lawyers in your area.

Teams should be made up of practicing attorneys, such as law firm teams, practicing attorneys in the same district, or alumni law school teams. Law students will be asked to sign up as individuals and assigned to a team made up of practicing attorneys. The trivia night will feature virtual break-out rooms which will allow small group discussion with the attorneys and law students. We anticipate memorializing the winning team in a unique way at the ISBA’s office.

Sign up can be completed here. The event is free to register for all participants. Participants are encouraged to make a donation with the winning team directing the total pot of donations to a legal-focused nonprofit of its choice. Donations can be made here.

A link to join the virtual trivia night will be sent out prior to the event.

Please reach out to Mackensie Graham mgraham@bradleyriley.com, or Mary Rose Shelley mshelley@duttonfirm.com if you have any questions.

Are you looking for a way to make new connections or reconnect with your colleagues? Perhaps you want to get involved in goal setting and shaping the direction of The Iowa State Bar Association. Serving on an ISBA section council or committee is a great opportunity to do just that. Hear from ISBA President-Elect Henry Hamilton III in this video as he encourages you to submit your online application here.

Click here for a description of the various committees. This link takes you to a description of the sections available.

H-8136 is an amendment to the unemployment insurance bill that you have, no doubt, heard about. House Amendment H-8136 has three divisions:

- Division I relates to unemployment insurance.
- Division II relates to caps on recoveries in commercial motor vehicle cases and medical malpractice.
- Division III relates to proof of vaccination and immunization status.

The ISBA urges you to contact your House of Representatives member immediately to encourage him/her to delete Division II from the legislation. 

A Fiscal Year 23 judicial branch budget report, compiled by State Court Administrator Robert Gast and presented to the Iowa legislature’s Judicial Appropriations Committee last week, provides an overview of the condition of the judicial branch over the last 12 years.

Among other items, the report showed:

- A shortage of 24.1 (-11%) of the total number of judges needed in each of Iowa’s eight judicial election districts to handle the caseload based on judicial officer caseload formulas.

- A significant increase in the percentage (45.1% in 2021 compared with 30.3% in 2020) of pending regular civil cases that are more than 12 months old.

- A 9.4% decline in inflation-adjusted real wage/median income for judges from 2010-2021.

The Iowa Rules of Evidence Substantive Review Task Force was established by the Iowa Supreme Court in August 2021 to evaluate and recommend substantive updates to the Iowa Rules of Evidence. The supreme court has reviewed the Interim Task Force Report and proposed amendments to conform the Iowa rules to the amended federal rules. Prior to taking further action, the supreme court seeks public comment on the proposed amendments.

Any interested organization, agency or person may submit written comments. Comments about a proposed rule amendment must refer to the specific rule number and line of text (for example, “Rule 5.404, line 14”). Email comments must be sent to rules.comments@iowacourts.gov, with “Rules of Evidence” stated in the subject line of the email and be sent as an attachment in Microsoft Word format. The deadline for submitting comments is April 16.

The Iowa High School Mock Trial Tournament regional rounds begin in March but can only be held if there are enough attorneys to serve as judges of the competition.

Regional rounds take place March 3 - 24, with the high school state tournament scheduled for March 31 - April 2. You can volunteer to judge this year’s tournament by clicking here.

Mock trial is designed to introduce students to Iowa's legal system by providing a challenging academic competition with opportunities for personal growth and achievement, emphasizing the importance of research, presentation and teamwork. 

If you have questions about the judging process, please contact ISBA Center for Law and Civic Education Director John Wheeler at 515-697-7882 or jwheeler@iowabar.org. For more information about the ISBA-sponsored high school mock trial program, click here.

State Court Administrator Robert Gast certified the results of the election of new members to the state's district judicial nominating commissions.

Each of the 14 judicial subdistricts elected a new commissioner at the end of January, except for subdistrict 5C, which elected two commissioners.

Each commissioner, except the chair, serves a six-year term. District nominating commissions provide the governor with a slate of two nominees from which to make an appointment to the district court bench.

To assist attorneys with document creation, editing and management, The Iowa State Bar Association is sponsoring a free Adobe Acrobat training session on Feb. 23. Adobe Acrobat is one of the PDF applications that was pioneered by Adobe systems. The software allows users to manage PDF files with ease and keeps teams connected with simple workflows across desktop, mobile and web platforms.

The following areas and features of Adobe Acrobat will be discussed during the session:

• Introducing Adobe Acrobat
• Creating Adobe PDF Files
• Working with PDF Files
• Editing Content in PDF Files
• Combining Files into one PDF

The virtual program will take place from 12– 1:30 p.m. and has been approved for 1.5 state CLE hours.

QUESTIONS?
Contact the ISBA CLE Department at cle@iowabar.org or 515-697-7874.

Are you looking for a way to make new connections or reconnect with your colleagues? Perhaps you want to get involved in goal setting and shaping the direction of The Iowa State Bar Association. Serving on an ISBA section council or committee is a great opportunity to do just that.

These small but incredibly influential groups, which span many practice and interest areas, are the core of our association. These groups help put together CLE programs, propose legislation, create manuals and practice guides and help the ISBA serve its members in countless other ways.

Please go to this page to submit an online application for up to three section councils or committees. Please note that you must first be a member of a section to apply for a section council position. Each application will be evaluated, and President-elect Henry Hamilton will make the appointments for these positions later in the spring, to take effect after the ISBA Annual Meeting in June. 

On Tuesday, Feb. 1, the House Labor Subcommittee approved and voted out House Study Bill 631 (HSB 631), a bill that would place $1 million caps on medical malpractice and commercial motor vehicle cases. The bill will now go to the full House Labor Committee, where it is expected to be approved next week. It will then be placed on the House calendar with a new House file number.

The bill includes two divisions. The first involves unemployment. The second involves the medical malpractice and commercial motor vehicle caps.

The ISBA urges you to contact your House member immediately and encourage him or her to strike Division 2 from HSB 631. 

On Monday, Feb. 21, The Iowa State Bar Association, the Iowa National Bar Association, the Polk County Bar Association and the Iowa Organization of Women Attorneys are co-sponsoring "Brown v. Board of Education," a virtual ISBA People's Law School community event. Taking place from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m., the event will include a presentation on the case that stated that separate schools for blacks and whites are inherently unequal. A discussion with panelists who attended segregated schools will follow the case presentation.

The event is free and open to the public with attendees participating via Zoom. 

QUESTIONS?
ISBA People's Law School
peopleslawschool@iowabar.org
515-243-3179

To assist attorneys considering or actively involved in the closure of an existing law practice, the ISBA has debuted a new handbook entitled "Closing a Practice." This guide is intended as a resource to address essential responsibilities, answer questions and provide checklists for closing a practice.

In addition, Paul Wieck (Retired Director, Office of Professional Regulation) presented an ISBA-sponsored webinar to help legal professionals plan and determine steps they can take when closing a law practice. Wieck's on-demand video is online for purchase at this link.

QUESTIONS
Please contact the ISBA at isba@iowabar.org with questions concerning the guide and cle@iowabar.org for questions on the on-demand CLE presentation.

To assist attorneys with the reporting of their 2021 CLE credits, the ISBA has created this CLE publication which includes CLE titles, dates, state, diversity, ethics, juvenile and wellness credit information as well as the activity numbers for each program offered by the ISBA last year. Credit information for ISBA On-Demand CLE and Fastcase events can also be found in this guide.

Annual reports are due by March 10. If an extension is needed for CLE hours, log into your account on the Office of Professional Regulation website. On your “My Account Lawyer” page, select “File for Regular CLE Extension” under “CLE Functions.”

Contact the ISBA CLE Department at 515-697-7874 or email cle@iowabar.org for questions concerning CLE credit of ISBA-sponsored events. For questions on the regulation of CLE, please contact the Commission on Continuing Legal Education at 515-725-8029 or cle@iowacourts.gov. 

On Wednesday, January 12, at 10:00 a.m. in the House Chambers, Chief Justice Susan Christensen of the Iowa Supreme Court will address a joint convention of the General Assembly on the Condition of the Judiciary.

Iowa PBS will livestream the speech on iowapbs.org, Facebook, and YouTube. The speech will be posted on the Iowa Judicial Branch website www.iowacourts.gov at 10:45 a.m.

Members of Iowa's legal community should have recently received an email from the Iowa Judicial Branch containing instructions for voting on new judicial nominating commissioners. Eligible members of the bar in each of Iowa’s 14 judicial subdistricts can vote for new judicial nominating commissioners beginning today. All subdistricts need to elect one commissioner except for District 5C, which needs to elect two. Commissioners serve six-year terms beginning Feb. 1.

January 27, 2022 is the final day of the election period; all votes must be cast by that date.

Should you have any questions about the voting procedure, you may contact State Court Administration at dist.nominating.commis@iowacourts.gov or call (515) 348-4880.

Again, please see the email from the Iowa Judicial Branch for voting instructions.

The ISBA staff want to wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season!

The Iowa State Bar Association office in Des Moines will be closed from noon on Friday, Dec. 24, until 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 3. If you need assistance during this time with live scheduled CLEs or on-demand CLEs, please contact CLE Director Christy Cronin at ccronin@iowabar.org or by phone at 515-697-7874 or 515-867-4488. You may also contact Assistant Executive Director Harry Shipley at hshipley@iowabar.org or 515-697-7868.

For questions concerning CLE credit requirements, please contact the Office of Professional Regulation at (515) 348-4670 or visit the OPR website.

Paul Wieck, Director, Office of Professional Regulation, Supreme Court of Iowa (ret.), will be presenting two upcoming live webinar CLE programs of interest to all Iowa attorneys but especially to those looking to retire from the practice of law in the near future.

Succession Planning 201
Dec. 28
12 - 1 PM
CLE Credit: 1 state hour which includes 1 ethics hour

Closing Your Private Practice
Dec. 30
12 - 1 PM
CLE Credit: 1 state hour 

Chief Justice Susan Christensen signed an order amending the Iowa Supreme Court's Dec. 6 order regarding the COVID-19 impact on court services. The amended order has an effective date of Jan. 1 and changes the language regarding the use of remote technology in family law proceedings and trials to be more consistent with the process in which other civil proceedings and trials use remote technology.

The ISBA Annual Meeting Committee is planning for the 2022 ISBA Annual Meeting and needs your input. With hopes to bring members together; committee members would like to offer three days of online learning, followed by two days of in-person CLE and social events. Please take a moment to take a brief survey to let us know your thoughts. 

Applications to serve on Iowa’s 14 judicial election subdistrict nominating commissions are now open. Each subdistrict, except for subdistrict 5C, has one opening; 5C has two openings.

Information about the judicial nominating commissioners’ duties can be found in this notice emailed to attorneys licensed to practice in Iowa and on the Iowa Judicial Nominating Commission webpage. An application form and instructions for filling it out are available here.

The deadline for applying is Dec. 27. Voting by eligible members of the Iowa Bar begins Jan. 5. The six-year terms for the newly elected commissioners begin on Feb. 1.

This year’s ISBA Federal Practice Seminar will take place on Friday, Dec.10. The all-day CLE program is designed for Iowa attorneys who are new to federal practice as well as experienced attorneys looking to brush up on the basics.

Attendees will hear from experts in the field about electronically stored information (ESI) discovery challenges, working with expert witnesses and communicating with jurors in the COVID era. Members of Iowa’s federal judiciary will provide their words of wisdom during the Article III and Magistrate Judge panels.

The seminar has been approved for seven state CLE hours including 1.5 ethics hours. Visit the event page to register and for more information.

There is still time to register for other upcoming CLEs in 2021. Visit The Iowa State Bar Association CLE Calendar page to find and register for CLEs happening yet this year.

QUESTIONS?
Contact the ISBA CLE Department at cle@iowabar.org or 515-697-7874.

QUESTIONS?
Contact the ISBA CLE Department at cle@iowabar.org or 515-697-7874.