As The Iowa State Bar Association prepares to host students, coaches, and families from across the nation and around the world on May 7–9 for the National High School Mock Trial Championship, there are many ways for attorneys and their staff members to get involved.

Beginning in July 2027, aspiring Iowa attorneys will begin taking a new Iowa bar examination.

Tyler Coe lost his beloved dog Lyla on Jan. 12 due to health complications. Her loss is deeply personal, but her impact reached far beyond Tyler’s home. Through his storytelling, advocacy for balance, and willingness to show vulnerability in a demanding profession, Tyler made Lyla a quiet but meaningful figure within ISBA’s culture, a reminder that wellness, connection, and joy matter just as much as professional excellence.

To Go Free – A Treasury of Iowa’s Legal Heritage by Richard, Lord Acton and Patricia Nassif Acton, was published in 1995, so 2025 was the 30th anniversary of its release date.

ISBA President Kathy Law dives into the benefits of mentorship for both the mentor and mentee. 

The Iowa Lawyer is pleased to introduce the Rural Attorney Showcase. This recurring feature will shine a spotlight on the Iowa lawyers making rural practice sustainable.

The Barber-Olmstead scandal illustrates why our professional rules exist and why vigilance is essential in upholding them. For today’s bar, the lesson endures: choose your partners wisely, guard your good name, and remember that in the law, reputation is everything.

Families are complicated, and our society is more so. In this context and in order to decide whether to avoid probate, we should first have a good understanding of what probate is, why we might try to avoid it, what protections and rights we give up, and what else could go wrong.

Generative artificial intelligence tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude have transformed almost all aspects of life. Prompts submitted to generative AI tools and the resulting outputs may be discoverable if they are relevant and proportional to a party's claims or defenses.

Each year, The Iowa State Bar Association recognizes high school seniors across Iowa who exemplify outstanding civic responsibility, leadership, and service through its American Citizenship Awards program.