Law Firm Overview

Our law firm has been practicing continuously in Iowa and Eastern Nebraska as a partnership since November 1908. The law firm has been a leader in the Midwest since that time. One of our founding partners became the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa and another served as a Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. Other partners have served, and continue to serve, in various leadership positions within the Iowa State Bar Association. We are a full service law practice providing comprehensive legal service in complex litigation and office practice matters. We serve the greater southwestern Iowa and eastern Nebraska region.

Our firm is well experienced in the following areas: Litigation, Trial Law, Product Liability, Discrimination and Civil Rights, Workers Compensation, Personal Injury, Appeals, Malpractice, Professional Negligence, Insurance Law, Administrative Law, Corporation and Business Law, Debt and Bankruptcy, Environmental, Municipal, Real Estate, Estates and Probate Law and Banking Law, Commercial Law, Collection, Insurance Defense Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Labor and Employment Law, Mediation.

Our law firm endeavors to provide quality legal services to meet all of our clients' needs through a unified team effort, drawing upon the unique strengths and experiences of all within the partnership. We are externally competitive and internally supportive and committed to providing our clients with the best possible representation.

Areas of Practice

• Administrative Law
• Business & Commercial Law
• Business Organizations
• Child Support
• Constitutional Law
• Discrimination
• Divorce
• Education Law
• Elder Law
• Employment Law -- Employee
• Estate Planning
• Ethics & Professional Responsibility
• Family Law
• Health & Health Care Law
• Insurance Law
• Land Use & Zoning
• Legal Malpractice
• Litigation & Appeals
• Medical Malpractice
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff
• Nursing Home
• Personal Injury -- Plaintiff
• Probate & Estate Administration
• Professional Malpractice Law
• Real Estate Law
• Securities Law
• Social Security -- Disability
• Tax Increment Financing
• Taxation Law
• Traffic Violations
• Whistleblower/Qui Tam
• Wills
• Workers' Compensation Law
• Motor Vehicle Accidents

Honors and Awards

• Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce Beautification Award, 1987 - 1988
• Council Bluffs Senior Center Superior Support Award, 1999

Published Works

• Pretrial Discovery in Iowa, 19 Drake L Rev 164, Vol I, 1969
• The Changed Face of Liability For Hostile Work Environment Sexual Harrassment: The Supreme Court Imposes Strict Liability in Faragher v. City of Boca Raton and Burlington , Ind Inc. Ellerth, 32 Creighton L. Rev. 1635, 1999
• Estimating Settlement Values, Iowa Defense Counsel, 1985
• Products Liability Update, Iowa Defense Counsel, 1988
• Comparative Fault Update, Iowa Defense Counsel, 1989
• Strategy and Discovery in Crop Damage Cases, Iowa Defense Counsel, 1994
• "Reservation of Rights, Are They Really Effective?", Iowa Academy Trial Lawyers, 1999
• Legal Causation Between Injuries and Back Disorders, Iowa Association of Workers Compensation Lawyers, Inc., 1980
• "Case Evaluation/Measure of Damages", Bridge the Gap ISBA, 1985
• "Motions During Trial", Bridge the Gap ISBA, 1986
• "How Age, Education and Motivation Affect Industrial Disability", Iowa Workers Compensation

Classes and Seminars

• Alternative Dispute Resolution/Mediation, Smith Peterson Law Firm, 1999
• Checklist for Taking Statements, Smith Peterson Law Firm, 1994
• First Party Bad Faith in Worker Compensation Cases, Smith Peterson Law Firm, 1994
• Risk Assessed Marketing (Agriculture Comodities), Smith Peterson Law Firm, 1995

Pro Bono Activities

• Council Bluffs Senior Center
• Community Education Inc.
• Bluffs Art Council
• Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity
• Iowa State Bar Young Lawyers Division
• Catholic Social Services

Representative Clients

• Bunge Corporation (Agricultural)
• Iowa Western Community College (Education Ent)
• Council Bluffs Water Works (Municipality)
• Bank Iowa (Banking)
• Heartland Properties (Real Estate)
• Allied Insurance Group (Insurance Defense)
• Employers Mutual Co. (Insurance Defense)
• Silverstone Group (Business)
• Childrens' Square-USA (Childrens Home)
• American Agrisurance (Insurance)

Representative Cases

• East Broadway Corp v. Taco Bell Corp, 542 N.W. 2d 816 (Iowa 1996)
• Allied Mutual Insurance v Costello, 557 N.W. 2d 284 (Iowa 1996)
• Holst v Countryside Ent Inc, 14 F 3d 1319 (8th Circuit 1994)
• Federal Land Bank of Omaha v Emberton, 460 N.W. 2d 488 (Iowa 1990)
• Pursell Construction Inc. v. Hawkeye-security Insurance., Inc., 596 N.W. 2d 67 (Iowa 1999)
• Loyd v. Federal Kemper Life Assur. Co., 518 N.W. 2d 374 (Iowa 1994)
• Nielsen v. Fremont-Mills Community School, 506 N.W. 2d 173 (Iowa App. 1993)
• Schnoor v. Deitchler, 482 N.W. 2d 913 (Iowa 1982)
• Higgins v. Gordon Jewelry Corp., 433 N.W. 2d 306 (Iowa App. 1988)
• Young v. Gibson, 423 N.W. 2d 208 (Iowa App. 1988)

References

• Peoples National Bank
• Bank Iowa
• hgm Associates
• Rasmussen Mechanical
• South Side Press of the Midlands
• Omaha Standard
• American Games
• City of Malvern
• City of Oakland
• Heartland Properties

Ancillary Businesses

• Tax Preparation
• Coordinating with State Legislature
• Aquisition and Merger Consulting

West Practice Categories

Administrative Law, Business & Commercial Law, Business Organizations, Constitutional Law, Discrimination, Traffic Violations, Education Law, Employment Law -- Employee, Estate Planning, Elder Law, Wills, Ethics & Professional Responsibility, Family Law, Child Support, Divorce, Social Security -- Disability, Health & Health Care Law, Nursing Home, Insurance Law, Litigation & Appeals, Mergers & Acquisitions, Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Defense, Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff, Probate & Estate Administration, Professional Malpractice Law, Legal Malpractice, Medical Malpractice, Real Estate Law, Land Use & Zoning, Securities Law, Tax Increment Financing, Taxation Law, Whistleblower/Qui Tam, Workers' Compensation Law