Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler & Hagen, P.C. is pleased to announce that 24 attorneys of the firm have been named by Best Lawyers® to its 2021 recognition lists for professional legal excellence, including: 21 attorneys with extensive experience were included in The Best Lawyers in America; Three distinguished attorneys were honored as “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective areas of law in Des Moines, and: Three rising lawyers were recognized in the inaugural edition of Best Lawyers:…

In early 2020, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that contractors who have a mechanics’ lien on a residential property cannot recover attorneys’ fees from the sale of the homestead. We explained in a prior blog about how that Supreme Court decision severely limited a contractor’s effective remedies under the mechanics’ lien statute. In our blog, we also noted that the ruling made clear that in the future, the legislature could address the issues with recovering…

Over the past eight weeks, serving your legal needs while working remotely to maintain the health and safety of our clients and employees has been our firm’s main focus during COVID-19. As of June 1st, Dickinson Law will begin a phased approach to reopening our offices, with a portion of our attorneys and administrative staff resuming work at our headquarters in downtown Des Moines. This approach is consistent with current governmental recommendations and allows us…

Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, an annual legal guide identifying the top attorneys and law firms in the United States, has ranked 5 practice areas and 13 individual attorneys from Dickinson Law in its 2020 edition. Firms were ranked in a limited number of categories and were evaluated by Chambers researchers through peer review and client interviews regarding their experiences with individual attorneys and practice areas. During the Chambers USA interviews, sources described Dickinson’s attorneys as…

As of today, April 8, 2020, it is legal to grow, possess, buy or sell hemp in Iowa. This includes hemp-derived CBD products which comply with federal law. Federal law still prohibits the use of CBD in food and drug products under the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act. In order to comply with the FD&C Act, CBD products may not be marketed as therapeutic and may not be sold in food products. If a…

By now, all financial institutions should be aware that state and federal agencies are urging cooperation and flexibility with borrowers (residential and commercial) affected in some way by COVID-19. For instance, see the March 22nd Proclamation and the March 22nd Federal Guidance. A new law, enacted on March 12, 2020, makes it even easier for financial institutions to record modifications to loans secured by mortgages on real estate. Historically, in order to record a…

Currently, Iowa clerks of court have been directed to reject filings of actions for foreclosure. In her March 22, 2020 Proclamation, Governor Reynolds “suspend[ed] the regulatory provisions of Iowa Code chapters 646, 654, 655A, and 656 allowing for the commencement of foreclosure proceedings, or the prosecution of ongoing foreclosure proceedings, on residential, commercial, and agricultural real property located in the state of Iowa.” Governor Reynolds further directed the Iowa Division of Banking and the…