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

Court Calls Lawyer’s Conduct a ‘Textbook Example of How Not to Operate a Law Office’

The Iowa Supreme Court has suspended a Dubuque lawyer accused of incompetent representation, client neglect and failure to maintain client trust accounts. Lawyer John Edward Netti Jr. will be suspended for two years before he can apply for reinstatement, according to the Telegraph Herald and the Iowa Independent. “Netti’s handling…

May 17, 2011 12:28 PM CDT

Alcohol Allegedly Served by DUI Lawyer in Client Meeting at His Office Leads to His Arrest

A female client says she doesn’t remember all of what happened after the Iowa lawyer representing her in a driving under the influence case allegedly served her four alcoholic drinks during a meeting at his office. However, the unidentified woman says she does recall sitting on the lap of attorney…

Mar 21, 2011 6:56 PM CDT

Mortgage Signature Law Provides Nearly Free House for Iowa Couple

Matt and Jamie Danielson were prepared to file for bankruptcy when their lawyer noticed an error by their mortgage company. Jamie had not signed the $320,000 mortgage as required by a 123-year-old Iowa law that voids mortgages when they are not signed by both spouses, the Des Moines Register reports.…

Mar 21, 2011 1:19 PM CDT

Disciplinary Case Still Pending Against Lawyer Jailed in 2006 Domestic Incident

Iowa revoked the license of just one of its lawyers last year, and has disbarred only 30 lawyers since 2000. Among the critics of the system is Jill Schmidt, a nurse practitioner who thinks state disciplinary authorities are taking too long to consider a complaint against her ex-husband, sentenced to…

Mar 14, 2011 4:10 PM CDT

Iowa Lawyer Suspended for Courthouse and Office Sex with Client Who Was Briefly His Wife

An Iowa lawyer has been suspended for 18 months for having sex with a client who later entered into a short-lived marriage with him. Clovis Bowles of Waterloo had represented the client in a custody battle, according to the National Law Journal and the Legal Profession Blog. The Iowa Supreme…

Feb 16, 2011 2:12 PM CST

Judging the Judges: Landmark Iowa Elections Send Tremor Through the Judicial Retention System

Jan 1, 2011 6:59 AM CST

Republican Lawmakers Seek to Impeach 4 Iowa Supreme Court Justices Who Struck Gay-Marriage Ban

After the Iowa Supreme Court last year struck down as unconstitutional a state statutory ban on gay marriage, opponents of same-sex marriage targeted the three judges among the seven total justices on the court who were up for retention this year. And, in a stunning Election Day defeat, all three…

Dec 18, 2010 12:50 AM CST

Iowa Lawyer Reprimanded for Plagiarizing Bankruptcy Brief

The Iowa Supreme Court has reprimanded a West Des Moines lawyer for filing a bankruptcy brief that was largely copied from a published law review article. The court rejected a recommended suspension of up to six months for the lawyer, Peter Cannon, the Legal Profession Blog reports. The opinion found…

Oct 18, 2010 12:41 PM CDT

O’Connor Supports Iowa Justices Targeted for Ouster Over Gay-Marriage Ruling

Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on Wednesday supported judicial merit selection and three Iowa justices up for retention in November. Speaking at a forum in Des Moines, O’Connor urged Iowa voters to retain the three justices who have been targeted for a ruling last year striking down the…

Sep 9, 2010 2:10 PM CDT

Same-Sex Marriage Opponents Launch Campaign to Oust Iowa Judges

Opponents of same-sex marriage have launched a campaign to unseat the three Iowa Supreme Court justices whose votes helped legalize it who are up for retention in the Nov. 7 election. The campaign is spearheaded by Bob Vander Plaats, a conservative activist who lost the Republican nomination for governor in…

Aug 27, 2010 5:22 PM CDT

U of Iowa Law School Offers Free Web Course on Health Care Reform Act

In what may be a one-of-a-kind move, the University of Iowa College of Law is offering all comers the opportunity to attend a free online 14-week course on the nation’s new health care reform law. Already, nearly 500 people have reportedly expressed an interest in attending. The class will be…

Aug 26, 2010 11:10 PM CDT

Lawyer: I Had Sex with Client at Her Home and in My Office, But Not in Courthouse Law Library

Facing potential discipline for admittedly having sex with a client at her home and at his office, an Iowa lawyer says an implication that he might have done so as well in the Black Hawk County courthouse law library is baseless. Clovis Bowles, 56, admits the affair several years ago…

Aug 26, 2010 9:42 PM CDT