Lawyer Suspended 30 Days for $2,500 Minimum Fee Charge

A retired Iowa lawyer has received a 30 day suspension for charging a $2,500 nonrefundable retainer, even though he spent less than four hours of work on the case. The Iowa Supreme Court imposed the suspension on Friday against retired Clinton lawyer William Vilmont, report the Quad-City Times and the…

Apr 9, 2012 2:19 PM CDT

Ex-U of Iowa Dean and GC Seek Damages for Firings Over Handling of Student Probe

A former longtime dean of students at the University of Iowa is seeking to join a former general counsel in litigation against the university and a private law firm, among other defendants, over the manner in which the two men handled a 2008 student sexual assault investigation. Last month, a…

Feb 15, 2012 10:30 PM CST

NY Attorney Withdraws Last-Minute Claim to $7.5M Iowa Lottery Jackpot

A New York lawyer who submitted a winning $7.5 million Iowa lottery ticket by overnight delivery, with the help of a local law firm, has withdrawn his claim to the prize after officials demanded he prove ownership. However, Crawford Shaw’s decision not to seek payment doesn’t resolve all questions concerning…

Jan 27, 2012 8:50 PM CST

Former Court Clerk Gets 10 Years for Stealing $500K from Ticket and Fine Payments

A former court clerk was sentenced by an Iowa judge to a 10-year prison term after entering a no-contest plea to four counts of first-degree theft in the middle of her October trial. The prosecution had sought a 20-year term for Tina Marlene Zieser, 46, who must also pay restitution…

Jan 12, 2012 9:20 PM CST

Pennsylvania Firms Poach Whole Practice Groups and Small Firms in 2011

Forget cherry-picking one-off partners and laterals. In 2011, several Pennsylvania law firms launched new practice groups and opened offices by poaching entire practice groups and acquiring small firms. The growth trend also capitalized on hot e-discovery and energy law opportunities, reports the Legal Intelligencer, which tracked expansion at nearly a…

Jan 3, 2012 7:37 PM CST

Political Discrimination Suit Against Former Dean to Go to Trial, says Appeals Court

A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit against the former dean of the University of Iowa College of Law for failing to hire a part-time employee as a full-time instructor due to her conservative politics. The district court initially granted Carolyn Jones’ motion for summary judgment, which claimed that…

Jan 3, 2012 7:21 PM CST

Real Estate Lawyer Is 2nd Attorney Convicted in Quad Cities Mortgage Fraud Case

An Iowa real estate lawyer who says he acted in good faith when he helped close nine real estate transactions for a rogue client was found guilty today in a federal mortgage fraud case in Davenport. The transactions that got Marc Robert Engelmann, 60, convicted of bank fraud, wire fraud…

Sep 13, 2011 11:38 PM CDT

8th Circuit OKs Denial of Social Security Benefits to Daughter Born 2 Years After Dad’s Death

A federal appeals court has reversed a trial court ruling that a girl born, with the help of in vitro fertilization, two years after her dad’s death is entitled to social security benefits. Upholding an Iowa law, since amended, that was enacted before assisted reproductive techniques made such births possible,…

Aug 30, 2011 7:49 PM CDT

Iowa Supreme Court Rejects Proposal to Keep Facts of Consent Suspensions Secret

The Iowa Supreme Court has rejected a proposal aimed at speeding up the lawyer discipline process by keeping secret the reasons for consent suspensions. Court spokesman Steve Davis told the Des Moines Register the public’s need for information about suspended lawyers who may return to law practice outweighs the need…

Aug 29, 2011 4:35 PM CDT

Iowa Supreme Court Streams Oral Arguments; US Court in Davenport to Tape Civil Trial for Broadcast

The Iowa Supreme Court began streaming its oral arguments live yesterday as part of a campaign to make courts there more accessible. The live broadcast is an Iowa first, report the Des Moines Register and KIMT.com. The sessions will also be recorded for those who want to view them later…

Aug 26, 2011 11:34 AM CDT

Quicker Lawyer Suspensions Justify Secrecy Proposal, Iowa Legal Ethics Chief Says

The Iowa official who proposes keeping lawyer suspension information secret in consent cases says his aim is to speed up ethics prosecutions and reduce backlogs. Paul Wieck II, director of the judicial branch’s office of professional regulation, tells the ABA Journal his proposal for privacy in consent suspensions mirrors the…

Jul 26, 2011 2:25 PM CDT

Iowa Proposal Would Keep Suspension Info Secret for Lawyers Who Consent to the Sanction

Corrected: An Iowa proposal would allow lawyers there to keep misconduct leading to suspensions a secret if they consent to the sanction and the facts are undisputed. Paul Wieck II, the head of the judicial branch’s office of professional regulation, is proposing the change, the Des Moines Register reports. Under…

Jul 25, 2011 12:51 PM CDT

Iowa Appeals Court Considers Meanings and Layman ID in Feces-Flinging Case

Is the meaning of the word “shit” ambiguous? And is an expert witness needed to identify feces? The Iowa Court of Appeals pondered those questions in a July 13 opinion (PDF) that upheld a prisoner’s conviction for assaulting a guard with bodily fluid, according to the Legal Skills Prof Blog.…

Jul 14, 2011 2:38 PM CDT

Jury Deadlocks in Real Estate Attorney’s Mortgage Fraud Trial

A federal jury has deadlocked in the mortgage fraud trial of an Iowa attorney accused of participating in a scheme to trick lenders into approving inflated loans that included kickbacks paid to home buyers. The buyers also reportedly misrepresented their income on loan applications, because they lacked the income to…

Jun 16, 2011 6:25 PM CDT

Spotlight On the Three States That Maintain All-Male High Courts

Jun 1, 2011 7:30 AM CDT