by Attorney Eric D. PuryearIn Iowa, Rule 31.14 governs the Pro Hac Vice admission of out-of-state attorneys to represent clients in an Iowa case. Pro Hac Vice admission in Iowa requires that the out-of-state attorney associate with local counsel.
It is important to note that, per IA Ethics Opinion 13-02, the local Iowa attorney is not just a “mail drop” for the out-of-state attorney, but rather an attorney who “must actively participate in the matter as counsel of record or co-counsel with the non-Iowa lawyer.” This means that local counsel in Iowa must be more involved in the case than many other states would require in a Pro Hac Vice scenario.
As an attorney who has served as local counsel in Iowa for an out-of-state attorney who was admitted Pro Hac Vice, I know that the Iowa courts treat that requirement as a serious one. Thus, the Pro Hac Vice arrangement in Iowa is one that I structure so as to ensure the rules of professional conduct are properly followed.