Attorney

Do you want to help business people and farmers get creditors off their backs, preserve assets, and minimize taxes like no other law firm in the country? Ag & Business Legal Strategies (ABLS) is an entrepreneurial boutique firm that is on track for growth. It needs an experienced SENIOR ASSOCIATE to join its team and work directly with its owner, attorneys, and staff to support the team and help clients.

If the statements below appeal to you, then you may be our next Senior Associate:

• You are familiar with bankruptcy and taxes related to distressed businesses.
• You are an awesome task juggler and can change gears quickly.
• You are a team player, willing to pitch in if your coworkers are in the weeds.
• You desire to become a preeminent lawyer advocating for farmers and businesses.
• You abhor mediocrity and strive to consistently improve your work product.

$130,000 - $156,000 yearly

• Perform research, draft briefs, pleadings, and motions
• Supervise administrative staff, paralegals, and law clerks
• Argue motions in court on behalf of clients during legal proceedings
• Counsel clients by assessing options and determining the best course of action for a successful outcome
• Determine case strategies and solutions to serve clients’ needs after analysis

This position will be responsible for:

• Maintaining excellent communication with clients, advisors, opposing counsel, courts, and other interested parties
• Supervising and assisting the firm’s qualified staff and professionals in evaluating the client’s overall financial, tax, and legal position
• Assisting clients in determining realistic goals and designing strategies to accomplish those goals.
• Providing excellent legal services
• Representing clients at mediations, negotiations, depositions, and in court, whether state court, federal district court, or bankruptcy court
• Conducting new client meetings (also called case evaluations or initial consultations) to sell the firm’s legal services

• Strong knowledge of legal research programs such as Westlaw and Lexis products is required
• Public speaking, decision-making, communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills are necessary for this role
• Ability to use Microsoft Office is required
• Graduation from law school with Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree and experience in representing clients for at least 2 years
• Must be a member of your local bar association - active member preferred

Experience

A Senior Associate candidate must have experience in bankruptcy and debt restructuring and a work history that demonstrates increasing responsibility in a law firm or corporate legal department. A typical Senior Associate candidate will have confirmed at least five Chapter 11 or Chapter 12 plans (or have equivalent experience on the creditor side) and participated in numerous related activities (motions to lift stay, motions to incur secured debt, motions to assume or reject leases and executory contracts, claim objections, plan objections, adversary proceedings, etc.).

An ideal Senior Associate candidate has subject matter expertise in the following three areas:

• Bankruptcy & commercial law.
• Knowledge and familiarity with the agricultural industry.
• Income tax.

Technical Skills

An ideal Senior Associate candidate has the following core technical skills:

• Negotiation practice
• Understanding of how income taxes affect businesses struggling to survive and considering partial or complete liquidation
• Ability to evaluate probable outcomes in bankruptcy scenarios
• Ability to determine the priority of liens on real and personal property

Education

• A Senior Associate candidate must have a law degree from an accredited law school and be licensed in the state of Iowa or could be licensed in the state of Iowa within a reasonably short period of time
• Attorneys licensed in the state of Illinois are encouraged to apply as the firm has worked for several Illinois farm debtors

ABLS provides cutting-edge services in debt restructuring negotiations and bankruptcy. Its client-centric model aims to help farmers and businessmen understand the depth of their problems and explore the opportunities for change available to them, including options they might not initially like. We aim to help our clients find comprehensive solutions to their complex problems, not merely continuing to kick the can down the road without making the business decisions that need to be made to ensure long-term success.

ABLS is a leading authority in its field. The firm championed changes to the Bankruptcy code in front of Congress and submitted an amicus curiae brief to the US Supreme Court. ABLS is known for helping its clients emerge from their extreme and stressful situations with the best outcomes possible.