Jason is a senior shareholder of the Davis Brown Law Firm and a member of the Business Division. His practice concentrates on the formation, acquisition, disposition, operation, and liquidation of business entities of all types and sizes. He is a recognized leader in the firm and is also the co-founder of the Start-Up Launchpad. The innovative program, which launched in the spring of 2011, includes flat-fee strategic advice and legal services for start-up businesses and entrepreneurs.

Nikki is a shareholder attorney and a member of firm’s Litigation Division. She practices in the areas of immigration, criminal law and family law and has provided more than 500 hours of pro bono time to clients. She is considered to be a leading expert in the area of criminal defense of immigrants and is also an advocate for immigrant rights.

Attorney Brian D. Torresi will practice from the Ames Office and has a general practice that includes, but is not limited to, corporate transactions, real estate, business litigation and creditors’ rights. Clients will also have access to the wide-range of legal services and practice areas offered at the downtown Des Moines and West Des Moines locations, including administrative law, business transactions, mergers and acquisitions, employment law, government relations, immigration, patent law and intellectual property, estate planning, biotechnology, real estate, securities, taxation and litigation.

For more information about the Ames Office or the Davis Brown Law Firm, call (515) 288-2500. The Ames Office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Following the close of this year’s session the blog will continue to provide readers with education on lobbying, the legislature and other topics.

In addition, the firm authors a variety of other blogs that focus on immigration, health care reform, government relations and emerging businesses. Learn more.

The Iowa Land Investment Expo, presented by Peoples Company, is the state's premier forum for businesses and individuals with an interest in farmland, investment real estate, commodities, economics, rural development, politics, estate planning, land development, leasing and financing. Additionally, Davis Brown attorneys will be present at the event throughout the day to answer questions.
 
To register, please visit www.iowalandexpo.com . Tickets to the event are $75 per person, which includes an all-day conference pass, continental breakfast, catered lunch, social hour and networking opportunities.

Attorney Brian D. Torresi will practice at the new location. Brian joined the Davis Brown Law Firm in August 2011 and has a general practice that includes, but is not limited to, corporate transactions, real estate, business litigation and creditors’ rights. Clients will also have access to the wide-range of legal services and practice areas offered at the downtown Des Moines and West Des Moines locations, including administrative law, business transactions, mergers and acquisitions, employment law, government relations, immigration, patent law and intellectual property, estate planning, biotechnology, real estate, securities, taxation and litigation.

For more information about the Ames office or the Davis Brown Law Firm, call (515) 288-2500.

On Thursday, Dec. 15, Davis Brown presented Kim with a framed edition of the card and made a $1,000 donation to VSA Iowa. VSA provides access to the arts for children and adults with disabilities and is the only organization of its kind in Iowa. Members of the Davis Brown Law Firm have been
actively involved in the organization for many years.

About VSA Iowa
VSA Iowa is the state organization on arts and disability with a mission to create an Iowa where
people with disabilities can learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts. VSA Iowa serves over
30,000 people every year through community partnerships, accessible arts education in schools
and communities, and connecting artists with disabilities with professional opportunities.

This year’s report was gathered from interviews with 240 corporate counsel to determine how more than 300 law firms perform in 17 specific areas of client service. These interviews revealed Davis Brown delivers better client service than over half of the law firms serving the world's largest clients.

Nichole joined the Litigation Division in 2008 and practices in the areas of immigration, family law, juvenile law and criminal law. Nichole graduated with honors from Drake University Law School in 2004 and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Grinnell College.

Courtney practices in the areas of public finance and tax law and currently serves as the co-chair of the firm’s Tax Department. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 2001 and graduated from Drake University Law School with high honors in May 2006.  She also received her M.B.A. from Drake’s Graduate College of Business in May 2006.  In addition, she has a Certified Public Accounting (C.P.A.) designation.

Mark has a general practice in, but not limited to, the areas of business transactions, finance and securities. He represents clients in several industries including renewable energy, ethanol, wind energy, biodiesel and banking. Mark graduated from Iowa State University with honors and was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law where he graduated with highest distinction and Order of the Coif.

The award will be presented at the 14th Annual Friends of Iowa Civil Rights Annual Awards Luncheon on Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, at the Des Moines Club.
 
Davis Brown attorneys, Jonathan Wilson, Thomas Stanberry and Sharon Malheiro, have also received the award in the individual category in 1999, 2007 and 2009 respectively.

Each potential candidate is assessed on 12 factors of peer recognition and professional achievement. The Great Plains edition of Super Lawyers, which includes the states of Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, is published every other year. The complete list of Davis Brown honorees is listed below:

Scott M. Brennan - Business Litigation
Donald J. Brown - Securities & Corporate Finance
Bruce I. Campbell - Tax
Frank J. Carroll - Business/Corporate
David M. Erickson - Real Estate
Beverly Evans - Securities & Corporate Finance
Robert A. Gamble - Banking
Kent A. Herink - Intellectual Property
Thomas J. Houser - Estate Planning & Probate
Becky S. Knutson - Employment & Labor
Gene R. La Suer - Employment & Labor
Sharon K. Malheiro - Employment & Labor
Deborah M. Tharnish - Business Litigation
Stanley J. Thompson - Business Litigation
Margaret Van Houten - Estate Planning & Probate
Mark D. Walz - Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights
Jo Ellen Whitney - Employment & Labor

Carroll was named “Mergers & Acquisitions Law Lawyer of the Year”, Campbell was named “Litigation & Controversy - Tax Lawyer of the Year” and Tharnish was named the “Litigation - Labor & Employment Lawyer of the Year”.

Nominations for the award are based on peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The current, 18th edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2012) is based on more than 3.9 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.

In each community, only one lawyer from each specialty area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.” These lawyers have earned a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism and integrity and have received particularly high ratings in Best Lawyers surveys.

"We are very proud that the Des Moines community considers the firm the best in our field.” said Sharon K. Malheiro, senior shareholder and president of the firm’s Board of Directors."It's a true testament to the commitment of our attorneys and support staff that we consistently rank at the top of local legal services year after year.”

The complete list of winners is available here.

The evaluation for the Top Workplaces program is based upon feedback from a 24-question employee survey that was conducted in March 2011. The survey measured employee satisfaction in six areas—including working conditions, career opportunities, pay and benefits, execution, management style and direction. Firm employees were also asked to provide comments about their workplace. The Davis Brown Law Firm was one of 35 midsize companies selected for the list.

"At Davis Brown, we work to provide the best environment possible for your employees," said Sharon K. Malheiro, senior shareholder and president of the firm’s Board of Directors. "An award such as this recognizes the commitment that the firm has to supporting a balanced life that not only fosters professional success, but also supports individuals and families."

Top Workplaces recognizes companies that have an inclusive approach to business, which allows them to be more innovative, operate more ethically and serve clients more effectively. Overall, 117 companies participated in the program, conducted by Workplace Dynamics, LLP.

Each year, the Iowa ESGR Governor's Award recognizes the exemplary ways Iowa employers support their National Guard and Reserve employees. Awards are given to employers in three categories: large employer, small employer and the public sector. Davis Brown received the award for small employer; Principal and the Buena Vista Sheriff’s Office were also recognized.

This is the third ESGR award presented to the firm. Earlier this year, Davis Brown was recognized with the "Pro Patria" award and received the "Above and Beyond" award in 2007.

Selection to Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive and rigorous annual peer-review survey comprising more than 3.1 million confidential evaluations by top attorneys around the country. This year, Best Lawyers also joined with U.S. News & World Report, the country’s leading rankings publication, to include law firms in the annual signature rankings published by  the magazine.

The Davis Brown attorneys honored in Best Lawyers include:

      William A. Boatwright - Non-Profit/Charities Law, Trusts and Estates
      Judith R. Boes - Health Care Law
      Bruce I. Campbell - Litigation & Controversy - Tax, Litigation - Trusts & Estates,
                                  Non-Profit/Charities Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
      Frank J. Carroll - Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Tax Law
      Lori T. Chesser - Immigration Law
      Robert J. Douglas - Real Estate Law
      David M. Erickson - Litigation - Real Estate, Real Estate Law
      Beverly Evans - Corporate Law
      Susan J. Freed - Health Care Law
      Robert A. Gamble - Banking and Finance Law
      Robert F. Holz - Communications Law, Energy Law, Health Care Law
      Thomas J. Houser - Trusts and Estates
      William Kelly - Family Law
      Michael G. Kulik - Corporate Law
      Gene R. La Suer - Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management
      Sharon K. Malheiro - Employment Law - Management, Litigation - Labor & Employment
      Julie J. McLean - Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/
                              Insolvency & Reorganization Law
      Stephen W. Roberts - Corporate Law, Government Relations Practice
      John D. Shors - Corporate Law, Health Care Law, Tax Law
      Jason M. Stone - Corporate Law, Tax Law
      Deborah M. Tharnish - Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation,
                                       Litigation - Labor & Employment
      Stanley J. Thompson - Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Antitrust
      Margaret D. Van Houten - Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
      David B. VanSickel - Public Finance Law
      Mark D. Walz - Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency & Reorganization Law
      Kendall R. Watkins - Health Care Law
      Jo Ellen Whitney - Health Care Law
      Jonathan C. Wilson - Litigation - Real Estate, Real Estate Law

Prior to accepting a position at the firm, she worked for American Friends Service Committee as the Immigration Legal Services Director. She graduated from Drake University Law School in May 2011.

Brian joins Davis Brown with an extensive background in commercial and residential real estate, including land subdivisions and commercial development, condominium conversions, creation of cooperative housing associations, forcible entry and detainer actions, boundary disputes and general title issues. He has also represented clients with matters related to transactional business/corporate law.

"This represents a great opportunity for our firm and for our clients," said Sharon K. Malheiro, senior shareholder and president of the firm’s Board of Directors. "The city of Ames is a natural next step as we continue to pursue our strategy of steady growth in the areas of real estate, estate planning, biotechnology, intellectual property, immigration and emerging business law.”

This is the latest expansion for Davis, Brown, Koehn, Shors & Roberts, P.C. and brings the total number of offices to three. In December 2001, the firm opened its second location in West Des Moines, which houses seven attorneys and support staff.

The firm plans to move to its permanent space in Ames later this year. In the interim, Brian will be housed in the downtown Des Moines office, located in the Davis Brown Tower at 215 10th Street, Suite 1300, Des Moines. For more information, please call (515) 288-2500.