EDITORIAL TEAM
Our attorneys and contributors have in-depth experience with appellate litigation.
Spencer Cady
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(515) 283-3118
Leslie Behaunek
Email Leslie
(515) 283-8187
As a litigator, Leslie Behaunek addresses diverse business disputes every day. Using skills honed as a judicial clerk, Leslie models the quality written and oral advocacy she saw in the courts. Leslie has experience litigating ERISA life, health, and disability benefits cases; ERISA and breach of fiduciary class actions; finance lease enforcement matters; bankruptcy matters; and healthcare and labor and employment claims. She provides representation before the Iowa appellate courts and the Eighth Circuit. A strong involvement with outside activities expands Leslie’s view of law and keeps her connected to the broader Iowa community.
Matt McGuire
Email Matt
(515) 283-8014
A successful litigant tells a compelling story. Matt McGuire draws on his background in journalism to ensure his clients’ stories resonate with the court. Applying his experience handling litigation and antitrust matters at a large law firm in Washington, D.C., Matt acts as an effective advocate in all aspects of his clients’ business. His current commercial and business litigation practice also builds on his judicial clerkship, which provided valuable perspective on the litigation experience—perspective he now applies to his clients’ cases.
Logan Eliasen
Email Logan
(515) 283-3119
Logan Eliasen is a passionate advocate with a wide-ranging litigation practice. Prior to entering private practice, Logan gained invaluable knowledge of the judicial system through several clerkship experiences, which encompassed federal and all levels of Iowa’s state courts. Logan learned the expectations of judges—what they want to see in arguments and written briefs. Oral arguments, where people turn written law into an active debate, continue to fascinate him. Logan knows the value of a well-crafted argument. In his work, he applies research, analysis, and creativity to tell his clients’ stories.
Dana Waterman Hempy
Email Dana
(515) 645-5528
Dana Waterman Hempy loves litigation’s continually moving parts and its new challenges. Dana’s experience as a law clerk for an Iowa Supreme Court justice gave her insight into effective written and oral advocacy. For thorny issues before the Iowa Supreme Court, Dana was tasked with analyzing cases and presenting the best arguments on both sides. Reading appellate briefs as a judicial law clerk proved to Dana that writing matters. Because every client and every fact pattern is different, her job is to find unique avenues of persuasion to get each judge’s attention. She continually looks for opportunities to make her arguments stand out.
Rox Laird
Although he is not a lawyer, Rox Laird has written about the courts, legal issues, and constitutional law for more than three decades. An editorial writer at The Des Moines Register and a reporter at the Des Moines Tribune, he specialized in writing about the First Amendment and public access to government information. He was recognized by the Iowa Supreme Court in 2015 for his “strong voice in support of justice.” He has been recognized by the Iowa Association for Justice and Iowa Legal Aid for his writing. Laird has contributed to On Brief: Iowa’s Appellate Blog since 2016.
FEATURED POSTS
February 2026 Iowa Court of Appeals Published Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. In February, the Court of Appeals selected six opinions for publication. Following are summaries of those opinions.
Defendant should not have had to ‘bet the house’ to avoid prison, Iowa Supreme Court holds
Christopher Hidlebaugh accepted a financial challenge in a plea deal with the State: purchase a home to avoid going to prison on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender. The deal fell apart, however, when Hidlebaugh was unable to qualify for financing to purchase a home, and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Dallas County District Court.
Iowa Supreme Court affirms woman’s conviction for making terrorism threats
A Guthrie County woman made statements to her son that he interpreted as serious threats of violence against a Department of Health and Human Services child protective worker and a judge six days ahead of a hearing regarding the Department’s removal of her minor children from her care. His concerns were reported to law enforcement, and she was subsequently convicted on one count of threat of terrorism under Iowa Code Chapter 708A.
January 2026 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in ten cases in January 2026. On Brief has analyzed three opinions in separate posts. The remaining opinions from January are summarized below.
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On Brief: Iowa’s Appellate Blog is devoted to appellate litigation with a focus on the Iowa Supreme Court, the Iowa Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.