Nominations for ISBA president-elect, vice president, ABA delegate

The ISBA Board of Governors will nominate one or more bar association members for the offices of president-elect, vice president and ABA delegate for the 2016-2017 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The nominations will take place during the BOG’s quarterly meeting March 23 at the ISBA headquarters building in Des Moines, Iowa.

Current ISBA Vice President Steve Eckley, Des Moines, is expected to be nominated as president-elect. Current BOG member, Tom Levis, Des Moines, has already announced his intention to seek the nomination for vice president.

The nomination for State Bar Association Delegate to the ABA will be to fill the two-year term currently held by David L. Brown, Des Moines. Brown intends to run for another term. As an ABA delegate, he has served as a member of the select committee and nominations committee. Additionally, he serves on the standing committee of the federal judiciary that evaluates nominations from the president to the federal bench.

Bar association delegates to the ABA are expected to attend the out-of-state annual and mid-year ABA meetings and provide reports to the BOG when requested. Partial reimbursement of registration fees, airfare and lodging expenses are provided by the ISBA.

If interested in being nominated for any of these three positions, please contact ISBA Executive Director Dwight Dinkla at 515-697-7867 or ddinkla@iowabar.org.

Membership dues now open for renewal

Iowa State Bar Association members can now log into their ISBA accounts and renew their 2016-2017 memberships electronically. Although renewing memberships online is the preferred method, the ISBA will also provide hard-copy dues statements via the U.S. Postal Service in April for members who prefer to mail in their renewals. 

Not only does renewing online reduce costs and the amount of work involved with the dues renewal process, it also ensures memberships are uninterrupted. If members go without paying their dues by July 1, the computer system will provide a small grace period before their memberships will become delinquent, and benefits will end by Sept. 30. 

The cost of annual dues remains unchanged from last year. However, members should note that their tenure in the association may move them into a new membership bracket especially if they are within their first six years of ISBA membership. Those individuals may see a cost increase as their membership moves toward a standard membership. 

To renew online, go to www.iowabar.org, log into the system and click on the renew link located under your member profile which is on the left hand side of the screen. If users have difficulties recalling their passwords, they can click on the ‘forgot password’ link below the login fields to recover their passwords. Individuals with questions may contact the membership department via email at membership@iowabar.org. 

Register for the 2016 Bench-Bar Conference A message from Dasha Ternavska, YLD member and Bench-Bar Planning Committee member. The biennial bench-bar event is coming to Davenport, Iowa, May 4–6. Held at the historic Hotel Blackhawk, this year’s Bench-Bar Conference will focus on Iowa’s edge. Take a look at this year’s engaging programming that combines useful panels and presentations with fun social events and networking. This event will provide you with 8.25 state CLE hours (1 ethics hour included). Check out the event flyer for details on what is planned for each day. The conference is now open for registration on the ISBA website. We hope you join us for this interesting, fun and thought-provoking event. Special rates are available for the judiciary, judicial clerks and YLD members. Hotel Blackhawk is also offering a special ISBA rate for those who register by April 13.

Board of Governors to meet next week

The ISBA Board of Governors will come together for the spring BOG meeting at the ISBA headquarters building in Des Moines, Iowa, March 23. Members are encouraged to reach out to their district representatives prior to the meeting to discuss any concerns with topics to be discussed.

During the meeting, the governors will be casting their votes for the upcoming year’s leadership. Other items to be discussed or reported are:

• Appointments to the LawPAC Board of Directors,
• Appointments to the Legal Aid Board of Directors,
• Proposed social media guide,
• ABA Justice Award,
• Rule 39.18 Study Committee’s work,
• Access to Justice Study Group’s work,
• Legislative session reports,
• And a variety of routine business. 

As with many BOG meetings, comments are anticipated from Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady as well as representatives from Iowa's two law schools.

In addition to the meeting, the ISBA is hosting a Breakfast with the Bar event in the early morning prior to the meeting, inviting Iowa’s legislators down for breakfast and mingling with the governors and bar leadership. 

Members can find their BOG representatives’ contact information on the ISBA website. Additionally, all current BOG contact information can be found on page four of every issue of the Iowa Lawyer magazine.

IRS interest rates remain the same for second quarter

The Internal Revenue Service yesterday announced that interest rates will remain the same for the calendar quarter beginning April 1 as they were in the first quarter. The rates will be:

• Three percent for overpayments (two percent in the case of a corporation);
• One-half (0.5) percent for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000;
• Three percent for underpayments;
• Five percent for large corporate underpayments.

Under the Internal Revenue Code, the rate of interest is determined on a quarterly basis.  For taxpayers other than corporations, the overpayment and underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus three percentage points. Generally, in the case of a corporation, the underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus three percentage points and the overpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus two percentage points.

More details about the IRS interest rates and tables listing the historical rates back to the mid-70s can be found at this link.

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The Iowa Lawyer Weekly is an electronic newsletter published every Wednesday. Please submit comments, letters to the editor, articles, or photos, to communications@iowabar.org. Contact information should be included with submissions. The ISBA reserves the right to refuse any submission but will take all submissions into consideration for future publication.

March 14

• The 12 ingredients of working happier (and better)
  
  
• Four reasons billing by the hour is a competitive disadvantage
  
  
• Five unexpected ways the cloud can support your practice
  
  
• The 2 key questions you need to ask yourself before picking your next battle
  
  
• Tips to help avoid YouTube copyright infringement

The following individuals applied for admission on motion to the Iowa Bar:

• Vicki Levy Eskin, Levy & Associates, P.A., Longwood, FL
  

The ISBA Career Center helps bring attorneys and employers together. Whether you have a legal position you need to fill or you’re looking for a career in the legal industry, you’re in the right place! Listings are available for a fee for ISBA members. Job seekers may search the listed jobs and post their resumés on the site for free.

Visit the Career Center for more information.