No Country for Rural Lawyers: Small-town attorneys still find it hard to thrive

Solving the rural attorney shortage won’t be easy, given that few law graduates appear willing to set up shop in rural America. The situation is only expected to worsen in the near future, given that many lawyers in less-populated counties are approaching retirement age and no younger attorneys have moved in to replace them.

Feb 1, 2020 12:00 AM CST

Custody litigant requests ‘trial by combat,’ suggesting it be carried out with Japanese swords

A custody litigant has filed a motion in an Iowa court seeking a “trial by combat” with his ex-wife and her lawyer.

Jan 15, 2020 4:25 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: 2019 could be ‘decent year’ for law firms; tight schedule led to bar exam leak, report says

2019 will be a ‘decent year’ for law firms, report says Law firm revenue grew 5.1% for the first nine months of 2019, largely because of billing rate growth of 4.7%, according to a third-quarter report by Citi Private Bank. And for the first time this year, revenue growth exceeded…

Nov 13, 2019 4:30 PM CST

Inmate tells court he fulfilled his life sentence after briefly dying

An Iowa inmate who was revived at the hospital claims his brief death means he has fulfilled the terms of his life sentence and he should be released from prison.

Nov 11, 2019 10:35 AM CST

Lawyer suspended for pocketing fees intended for law firm; court warns of tougher future penalties

A Cedar Rapids, Iowa, lawyer has been suspended for four months for keeping fees from clients that should have been split with his law firm.

Sep 17, 2019 10:04 AM CDT

$3.25M award for alleged bungled adoption is overturned; lawyer isn’t liable for emotional distress

An Iowa lawyer isn’t liable for emotional distress damages for a failed adoption that left a baby in the temporary care of a birth father who was later charged with the child’s murder, the state supreme court has ruled.

Jul 9, 2019 10:14 AM CDT

ABE grant helps Iowa open legal clinics in VA medical centers

Jul 3, 2019 10:36 AM CDT

Number of prisoners hits 9-year low, but some states are resisting the trend

The number of people in U.S. prisons fell to a nine-year low of just under 1.5 million last year, a 1.3 percent decrease, according to a report released recently by the nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice.

Apr 26, 2019 2:36 PM CDT

Special veterans courts see little money, little demand

Eric Gonzalez says he doesn’t remember getting pulled over, nor does he remember evading his arrest in Fullerton, California. The only thing he knows is that he woke up very hungover and faced up to nine years in prison for assaulting a police officer, along with five other charges.

Feb 22, 2019 3:00 PM CST

Former prosecutor who stole colleague’s underpants gets indefinite suspension

A former Iowa prosecutor who pleaded guilty to the theft of a colleague’s underpants has had his law license suspended. The Iowa Supreme Court suspended Benjamin Stansberry indefinitely last Friday, with no possibility of reinstatement for at least a year. Before he can be reinstated, Stansberry will have to provide…

Jan 29, 2019 3:46 PM CST

Iowa fetal heartbeat law struck down; other states mull similar bills and look to Supreme Court

A state court judge has overturned an Iowa law that bans most abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Judge Michael Huppert of Polk County, Iowa, ruled Tuesday that the law violates the Iowa Constitution, report the Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Radio. The decision comes as abortion opponents…

Jan 23, 2019 11:30 AM CST

Iowa’s ‘ag-gag’ law violates First Amendment, federal judge rules

A federal judge on Wednesday struck down an Iowa law that makes it a crime to obtain access to an agricultural production facility under false pretenses. U.S. District Judge James Gritzner of Des Moines said the “ag-gag” law violates the First Amendment, report Courthouse News Service, the Associated Press and…

Jan 10, 2019 3:19 PM CST

Charges tossed for accused child sex abuser after prosecutor’s public intoxication arrest at courthouse

An Iowa man accused of sexually assaulting a minor has won dismissal of the charges after the prosecutor was arrested at the courthouse for public intoxication on the day he was scheduled to enter a guilty plea. Judge Martha Mertz of Osceola, Iowa, dismissed charges against 23-year-old Dennis Simmerman on…

Dec 19, 2018 11:56 AM CST

Lawyer calls client an ‘idiot and a terrible criminal’ on Facebook

An Iowa lawyer decided to remove a Facebook post calling a client an “idiot and a terrible criminal” after receiving an inquiry from the Associated Press. Lawyer Chad Frese of Marshalltown told AP that his Facebook post recounted his reaction after a client accused him of being born into privilege.…

Nov 5, 2018 1:48 PM CST

Couple’s divorce terms are vacated because of judge’s ghostwritten opinion

A district judge in Iowa has vacated a couple’s divorce decree because it was ghostwritten by a lawyer without the knowledge of opposing counsel. District Judge Jeffrey Neary said Thursday that the marriage of Troy and Audra Presuhn is still dissolved but other aspects of their divorce are vacated, the…

Sep 14, 2018 9:13 AM CDT