Belin McCormick

Belin McCormick lawyers go to court. They are comfortable there. Whether you hope to negotiate a resolution or you plan to fight, you should not enter into litigation with anything less. Belin McCormick handles a broad range of litigation matters involving all of the Firm’s substantive areas of practice, with a particular emphasis on complex commercial litigation.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Belin McCormick recognizes that the formal litigation process is not always the best way to resolve disputes among businesses or individuals. The Firm's litigation attorneys make extensive use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in order to resolve controversies before lawsuits are filed or to settle existing lawsuits before trial. The Firm has extensive experience in mediation, and the Firm's litigation attorneys include trained and active mediators.

The Firm also participates in arbitrations, including arbitrations before the American Arbitration Association and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Practicing Attorneys:

Mark McCormick Patricia Shoff
Sheila Tipton Stephen Eckley
David Nelmark Samuel Blatnick

Antitrust and Trade Regulation

Belin McCormick attorneys both litigate and advise clients on antitrust and trade regulation matters.  The Firm’s litigation attorneys have served as lead counsel on significant federal antitrust cases.  Additionally, the Firm has defended several consumer fraud actions brought by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.  The Firm has represented clients in responding to investigative demands and has also assisted clients, where appropriate, in making complaints to enforcement authorities on antitrust and trade regulation matters.  The Firm regularly provides antitrust counseling to its clients.

Practicing Attorneys:

Mark McCormick  

Appeals

Belin McCormick regularly appears in appellate matters before the Iowa Supreme Court, the Iowa Court of Appeals, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. In the last decade, the Firm has argued two cases in the United States Supreme Court.  The Firm's appellate attorneys also have argued before a majority of the other United States Courts of Appeals and a number of other state appellate courts. The Firm's appellate lawyers include a 14-year Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court and attorneys who have clerked for various United States Courts of Appeals and the Iowa Supreme Court. The Firm takes on appeals of civil, criminal, and administrative matters.  In many instances, the Firm has been retained as appellate counsel on matters that were tried by other attorneys.

Practicing Attorneys:

Mark McCormick Sheila Tipton
Dennis Ogden David Swinton
Margaret Callahan Robert Sharp
Michael Reck Matthew McDermott
David Nelmark Kelsey Knowles
Samuel Blatnick Stephen Locher

Complex Civil Litigation

Belin McCormick's litigation practice group employs approximately one-third of the Firm's attorneys. The Firm handles a broad range of civil litigation matters involving all of the Firm's substantive areas of practice, with a particular emphasis on complex commercial litigation. The Firm represents both its regular clients and clients who come to the Firm for particular litigation matters. The Firm's lawyers regularly appear in the federal and state courts throughout Iowa and as needed in other jurisdictions. The Firm has a number of experienced trial lawyers and regularly advocates in jury and nonjury trials and private arbitrations. The Firm has both prosecuted and defended class action cases.  The Firm has served as the sole or lead counsel in matters where the amounts in controversy have been in nine figures.

The Firm also regularly partners with firms from outside Iowa to provide joint representation on litigation in Iowa courts. The Firm's litigation attorneys also provide advice on avoidance of litigation, and they assist in the investigation, negotiation, and resolution of disputes without formal litigation being filed.

Practicing Attorneys:

Mark McCormick Stephen Eckley
David Swinton Margaret Callahan
Robert Sharp Michael Reck
Matthew McDermott David Nelmark
Kelsey Knowles Samuel Blatnick
Stephen Locher Espnola Cartmill

Family Law

Belin McCormick represents clients in all aspects of family law including marital dissolutions, separations, premarital (antenuptial) agreements, post-decree modifications, child custody matters, adoptions and other related issues. Family law matters are many times complicated by related matters such as taxation, property, foreign citizenship, estate planning, and valuation of closely held family businesses and professional practices. The Firm's attorneys specializing in taxation, estate planning, real estate and corporate representation are consulted to insure comprehensive service to the firm's family law clients. Family law matters require a careful understanding of the situation from the client's perspective. The firm's family law attorneys have many years of experience and understand that every family law situation is unique. The firm's lawyers in the family law practice use their expertise and experience to solve the client's problems efficiently and pragmatically with the goal to help clients achieve the best possible result in what is always a very difficult situation.

Practicing Attorneys:

Patricia Shoff Espnola Cartmill

Health Care Law

Health care law is an increasingly complex and challenging practice area.  Belin McCormick represents hospitals, clinics, physicians, and other institutions and individuals in the health care sector.  The Firm serves as general counsel to the nation’s federation of independent, nonprofit blood centers, which account for approximately half the nation’s blood supply.

Practicing Attorneys:

Patricia Shoff  

Trial Practice

Belin McCormick tries civil and criminal cases.  All shareholders in the Firm’s litigation practice have extensive jury and nonjury trial experience.  Recent jury trials handled by the firm include criminal insider trading, conversion of intellectual property, bad faith, real estate contract, products liability indemnification, and other commercial disputes and personal injury matters.

Practicing Attorneys:

Mark McCormick Patricia Shoff
Charles Becker Dennis Ogden
Stephen Eckley David Swinton
Robert Sharp Michael Reck
Matthew McDermott David Nelmark
Kelsey Knowles Samuel Blatnick
Espnola Cartmill  

White Collar Crime

Belin McCormick handles all aspects of the investigation and defense of white collar criminal matters. The Firm represents corporations and individuals in a variety of white collar criminal investigations and prosecutions, both in grand jury investigations and in post-indictment proceedings, trials, and appeals. The subjects of the Firm's recent white collar representations have included environmental violations, bank fraud, mail and wire fraud, false statements to the government, vote fraud, bankruptcy fraud, agricultural product inspections, telemarketing fraud, tax evasion, and securities violations and insider trading. The Firm also conducts internal investigations for corporate clients and nonprofit institutions that suspect wrongdoing by employees or agents.

Practicing Attorneys:

Matthew McDermott Stephen Locher

 
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