Startups often begin as collaborative ventures between friends, classmates, or coworkers. The second article in Legal Basics for Startups: A Practical Series for Founders addresses getting early equity decisions right.

Although the M&A market faced various macroeconomic challenges during the first half of 2025, M&A activity has continued to persist.

The words "cautious optimism" were broadly used at this time last year when M&A dealmakers were asked to provide an outlook for the M&A market in 2024. Following a COVID-era peak in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Ricardo Barquero is a transactional attorney in our Business, Finance and Real Estate practice. A native of Costa Rica, Ricardo practiced law there for 14 years before moving his family to the United States...

On March 28, 2023, Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law Senate File 262 (SF 262) after unanimous passage in the Iowa House and Senate. The bill goes into effect January 1, 2025.

M&A participants can anticipate challenges and opportunities in the coming year. Skilled M&A attorneys predict elements that will inform effective M&A transactions and strategies for 2024.

Startups are built around bold ideas, tight timelines, and limited budgets. That makes it easy for founders to overlook key legal details. Early legal missteps can have severe and lasting consequences...

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) requires most employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related conditions. While the PWFA statute includes familiar concepts...

Polls in Iowa closed at 8:00 PM on November 5, 2024, concluding an election cycle that was historic on many levels. In the night's most significant outcome...

As part of the client-exclusive Law & the Workplace webinar series, labor and employment attorney Randall Armentrout took an in-depth look at the Federal Trade Commission's proposed noncompete ban.

Attorney Robert Palmer says "if you're not involved, you're living with someone else's decisions." That's a belief that drives the counsel he gives clients in his Government Affairs practice and the way he tackles...

Term sheets are the first real test of a startup's readiness for institutional capital. While nonbinding in most respects, term sheets outline the major deal terms for startup funding.

Startups raising initial capital often face an inherent challenge: They need funds to move forward, but they do not yet have the traction to support a valuation. Convertible notes and Simple Agreements for Future Equity...

A new administration means new priorities. While we have no crystal ball to predict precisely what will occur once President-elect Trump takes office, we have some sense of what to expect with various employment laws...

Now that we are into the third month of 2026, Midwest business owners and M&A dealmakers are wondering if the recovery in M&A that began in 2024, and accelerated in 2025, can be sustained in 2026.

Generative artificial intelligence, or GenAI, is moving into all facets of life—including the workplace. Employees are using GenAI now. To mitigate GenAI legal risks, employers need to set up...

Effective March 1, 2026, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Residential Real Estate Rule requires certain professionals involved in non-financed real estate transactions to submit reports for all transfers of residential property to an entity or trust.

Nearly half of U.S. states have fully legalized cannabis usage both recreationally and medicinally. This rapid growth has led an increasing number of commercial mortgage lenders to reconsider financing properties involved...

In the first session of 2024's Law & the Workplace webinars, labor and employment attorney Tom Cunningham reviewed 2023 legal changes for employers. He also made predictions for the coming year.

Nearly 2,000 Iowa National Guard service members are preparing to deploy overseas within the next few months. Employers of these Guardsmen and women play a crucial role in supporting our country's...