Location: Cedar Rapids, IA (relocation allowance available)
Compensation: Up to $175,000 base (DOE), plus benefits, bonuses, and clear path to ownership
About Ag & Business Legal Strategies (ABLS)
We’re an entrepreneurial boutique law firm nationally recognized for handling complex farm and business debt restructuring, bankruptcy, and tax matters. Led by industry expert Joseph Peiffer, our team has testified before Congress, filed amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court, and regularly appears on ag-focused media. We employ a systems-driven approach, leverage technology, and focus on delivering results—not just running up bills.
Why ABLS?
• Competitive Compensation: Up to $175K base plus performance bonuses.
• Ownership Track: Clear path to become a partner/owner of a growing boutique firm.
• Professional Development: Work alongside one of the nation’s foremost experts in farm bankruptcy; opportunities for training and conference participation.
• Relocation Support: Assistance available for moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
• Mission-Driven Work: Help farmers and business owners escape financial distress and rebuild strong futures while minimizing income taxes.
Role Summary
As Managing Attorney, you will:
• Lead Operations: Oversee the day-to-day management of legal staff, ensure cases are handled efficiently, and maintain compliance with firm policies.
• Deliver Excellence: Guide clients through Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 processes, debt restructuring, and tax implications with precision.
• Client Relations: Conduct consultations, negotiate settlements, and represent clients in state and federal courts, mediations, and adversary proceedings.
• Team Development: Collaborate with HR and leadership on hiring, training, and performance reviews; cultivate a culture of continuous improvement.
• Systems & Technology: Master our practice management software and spearhead process improvements to boost productivity and consistency.
Key Qualifications
• Legal Credentials: JD from an accredited law school; licensed (or eligible for quick licensing) in Iowa or Illinois.
• Experience: Demonstrable history in Chapter 11 & 12 reorganizations and related motions (claims objections, lift stays, lease rejections); strong knowledge of farm and agribusiness finance.
• Technical Expertise: Familiarity with bankruptcy, commercial law, lien priorities, negotiation tactics, and tax ramifications of distressed businesses.
• Leadership & Project Management: Proven ability to manage teams and projects, communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders, and implement process improvements.
• Culture Fit: Thrives in a fast-paced, no-nonsense environment; committed to growth; embraces technology.
(Up to $175,000 for well qualified candidate plus benefits and relocation allowance.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Compensation: The target compensation for an ideal Senior Associate is up to $175,000 per year, contingent on experience and hitting clear, defined, benchmarks. It includes a generous benefits package and significant opportunities for professional development. If needed, a relocation allowance can be included to aid the right candidate in moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
