2020 Midyear Seminar

IOWA COURT REPORTERS ASSOCIATION

2020 Leap Day Midyear Seminar

Saturday, February 29, 2020

DMACC

600 North Second Avenue West

Newton, IA 50208

.7 CEUs

HOTEL INFO:

Room block at the Best Western near the DMACC campus.  When you make reservations tell them you are part of the Iowa Court Reporters Association block.  The rate is $54/night.  The contact info is as follows:

Best Western Holiday Manor

208 West Fourth Street

Newton, IA 50208

(641) 792-3333

Speaker Information

Speaker #1:  Kim Riley, 2^nd Judicial District Associate Court Judge

Judge Riley, Marshalltown, was appointed as a District Associate Judge effective October 7, 2000. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Sioux Falls College in 1985 and her law degree from the University of South Dakota in 1988. After receiving her law degree, Judge Riley served as a law clerk for the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court in South Dakota. Later, she worked for the Iowa Department of Commerce, Banking Division, and she served as Assistant County Attorney, Child Support Recovery Division in Carroll County. She was also supervising attorney of the Marshalltown Public Defender's Office. Judge Riley is a member of the Iowa Judges Association.

Judge Riley will cover topics such as how to dress professionally on a budget; benefits of dressing professionally; appropriate attire; the Iowa Judicial Branch’s policies on tattoos, grooming, and hygiene; courtroom conduct; interactions with attorneys; social media policies; and ethical considerations.

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Speaker #2:  Erica Nichols Cook, Director, Wrongful Conviction Division, State Public Defender

Erica Nichols Cook is the director of the Wrongful Convictions Division. Erica joined the Wrongful Conviction Division of the Iowa State Public Defender in December 2016. Prior to coming to Des Moines, Iowa, she was an assistant appellate defender in Springfield, Illinois. She also served as an adjunct Professor of Law at Southern Illinois University, teaching about wrongful convictions and supervising the externship program with the Illinois Innocence Project. Erica was previously a staff attorney with the Illinois Innocence Project where she investigated and litigated non-DNA cases and supervised both undergraduate and law students. Prior to her time with the Illinois Innocence Project, Erica was an Assistant Cook County Public Defender in Chicago.

She earned her Juris Doctorate Degree from Drake Law School, where she was a Public Service Scholar and Ferguson Gold Award recipient. She received her Bachelor’s in Arts Degree from the University of Illinois Springfield.

Erica will discuss her work in the Wrongful Conviction Division of the Iowa State Public Defender’s Office.  She will be talking about specific cases and the process involved in overturning a conviction.

Joining Erica will be her former client, William Amor, who was exonerated after serving 22 years in the Illinois prison system.  Read more about William’s story here: https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=5283

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Speaker #3:  Kellie L. Paschke, Attorney/Lobbyist; Sarah Bowers, CSR, DMACC Faculty

Kellie received her B.A. from Cornell College in 1997, majoring in political science and J.D. from Drake University Law School in 2000, with a focus on corporate/business law.  She was admitted to practice law in September 2000.

Kellie began working in the legislature as a legislative intern in 1999.  Upon graduation, she spent five years working inside the Capitol as a research analyst for the Iowa House Republican Caucus staff.  Kellie was responsible for legal research and analysis of legislation for several areas including Judiciary, Public Safety, Justice System Appropriations, and Judicial Branch budget. 

In 2005, Kellie joined the Iowa Association of Business and Industry as Vice President, Government Relations.  In this role, she served as a primary lobbyist for the association on all matters related to business, environmental, and labor law.  Kellie joined the law firm of Skinner, Nielsen, & McCollom, PLC in 2008.

In 2010, Troy and Kellie formed the firm Skinner & Paschke, PLLC.  During the legislative session they work full-time at the Statehouse, and in the interim they continue this service by providing regulatory and policy development assistance.  Troy and Kellie also maintain an active law practice which includes a focus on personal injury, workers’ compensation, employment law, and real estate matters. 

Kellie will give us an update on what’s going on in the legislature and Sarah will give us an update of what is going on at DMACC.

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Speaker #4:  Sarah Bowers, CSR

Sarah is a Realtime Court Reporting instructor at Des Moines Area Community College.  Previous to teaching, she served as an official reporter with Fifth Judicial District for 12 years, working in Juvenile Court and District Court.  She was also a freelance reporter with Susan Frye.

After losing both parents in separate accidents, Sarah struggled with anxiety and depression.  While therapy helped process the trauma, she realized it wasn’t helping her on a day-to-day basis.   It wasn't until she discovered life coaching that she was able to evolve and transform.  Last year she became a Certified Life Coach with The Life Coach School, located in Allen, Texas.  

Sarah uses the tools she has learned to help students manage anxiety associated with court reporting school.  She also shows them that the most valuable currency we have is time and helps them work through the blocks of the mind and into massive action.  Sarah’s deepest desire is to empower others and help them see the intrinsic power and wisdom that lies beneath all of the stories we tell ourselves.  This is where the magic lies. She uses these tools on herself multiple times a day in order to keep the prefrontal cortex sharp and in charge. 

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Speaker #5:  Alan Ostergren, Muscatine County Attorney

Alan Ostergren is the Muscatine County Attorney. He was first elected to this position in 2010 and reelected in 2014 and 2018. Before this he was an assistant Muscatine County Attorney from 1997 to 2010. He is a past-president of the Iowa County Attorneys Association and is a current board member of the National District Attorneys Association. He is a 1994 graduate of Grinnell College and a 1997 graduate of Drake University School of Law. 

Alan will talk about the recent prosecution of a murder from 1992 and the challenges that go along with prosecuting a cold case.  Read more about the case here: https://muscatinejournal.com/muscatine/news/local/crime-and-courts/years-after-corey-wieneke-s-death-his-family-finally-feels/article_c4e0e7f1-a1e7-583b-817e-00f894cac4e9.html