EDITORIAL TEAM

Spencer Cady

Email Spencer
(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. 

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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.

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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.