From the President . . . .

PCBA President Anjela Shutts

March 10, 2013, marked the one year anniversary of the death of my friend and former Des Moines attorney Alexander Rhoads. At the time of his death, Alex was only 46 years old and left behind a wife, Jennifer, and a nine-year old daughter, Greta.

Alex and I became friends in our first weeks of law school and experienced those momentous law school occasions together – writing our first year briefs, surviving tax class and studying for the bar examination.

After 15 years of practicing family law, in October of 2010, Alex followed his true passion – food – and opened up AllSpice, a spice store in the East Village. The AllSpice website said this about Alex and his wife’s decision to open the store: Read more . . .

Polk County students honored at Law Day celebration

The PCBA recently awarded prizes to a number of Polk County middle school and high school students who took part in the annual Law Day celebration and competition. This year’s theme was Realizing the Dream: Equality for All and students competed in the categories of visual arts, music, essay, and poetry. Click here for details, photos, and a look at the winning entries.

Have you been dreaming about golf?

It’s been a long time coming, but we can now dust off those golf clubs and hit the links. And what better way to kick off the season than to join us at our annual Bench & Bar Golf Outing on Friday, June 7th, at the Waveland Golf Course in Des Moines. In addition to providing fun and networking opportunities, this event also benefits the PCBA Volunteer Lawyers Project. Register before May 15th to receive the Early Bird discount. Click here for details and the registration form.

Probate Court Roundtable Discussion Scheduled

PCBA is hosting a Roundtable Discussion on important issues relating to the electronic filing process in Probate Court on Thursday, May 30, from Noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Polk County Courthouse. Attorneys and their office assistants are encouraged to attend. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP before May 27 to Joshua Miller. Click here to download a flyer with complete details.

Need to fulfill your CLE requirements?

The PCBA will offer a free summer CLE program on Friday, June 21, at the Downtown Marriott Hotel, 700 Grand Ave. Among the cutting edge topics to be explored are: Iowa’s new business court, new rules on lawyer advertising, electronic filing, and legal issues from the Harrington/McGee trial. When coupled with the free CLE offered by the PCBA each fall, this program is designed to offer 100 percent of the CLE credits required by the Iowa Supreme Court and U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the program begins at 8 a.m. Call the PCBA office at 243-3904 to reserve your spot or click here to download the tentative agenda and reservation form.

It’s time to renew your PCBA membership

One of the best things you can do for your career is to belong to the Polk County Bar Association. Your PCBA membership entitles you to FREE CLE seminars to sharpen your skills, monthly luncheons to explore current issues, access to our court-sponsored mediation program, news and information you can’t get anywhere else, discounts on programs and services, and much, much more. And, as a bonus, first-time PCBA members and those who renew their membership for 2013 are entitled to attend one of our informative and timely PCBA Luncheons on us – FREE of CHARGE – No strings attached! Click here to learn more and to download the renewal form. If you have questions about your membership, contact PCBA Executive Director Carol Burdette.

Support the VLP and get a tax deduction to boot!

While you’re renewing your PCBA membership, don’t forget to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Polk County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project.The PCBA VLP is a charitable organization established with the mission of providing legal services to low income residents of Polk County. With your help, PCBA VLP is one of the most successful volunteer lawyer programs in the country, with Polk County lawyers donating approximately 5,000 hours of their time annually. Unfortunately, the tough economic conditions have severely impacted the PCBA VLP. Demand for services has never been higher while our funding continues to decline. The PCBA VLP now offers you the ability to make donations on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis – all you need to do is check the appropriate option on your PCBA membership renewal form.  Click here for more details from PCBA VLP President Nicholas Cooper.