Mr. Sullivan has been in the private practice of law since 1968. He has tried over 100 jury trials in state and federal courts in the Midwest. The subject matters of these trials concerned everything from product liability to first-degree murder. In later years his practice has centered on complex product liability defense, although he still is active in the trials of motor vehicle accidents and commercial torts. He has also recently tried several cases on behalf of personally injured plaintiffs.

He is active in the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers which is an invitational organization of plaintiff and defense trial lawyers limited to 250 members. In 1997 he served as President of the Academy. He is active in defending propane explosion cases and is a member of the Propane Defense Counsel Association. He has acted as counsel for lawyers in ethics matters and has served as an expert witness at trial on issues related to legal ethics and standards.

Mr. Sullivan was born in 1937. He was raised in Washington, D.C. While in high school his family moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the home of his maternal grandparents. He graduated from high school in Cedar Rapids, and attended what were then known as Iowa State College and the State University of Iowa. He graduated from the latter in 1960. He was accepted to and attended law school at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. While in law school, he worked at night as a U.S. Capitol Policeman to finance his education.

After his June 1963 graduation from law school he took and passed the Iowa bar exam and the D.C. bar exam. He spent the next five years in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps. During that period, he adjudicated serious personal injury and property claims against members of the U.S. Forces in Germany. He acted as General Court Martial Defense Counsel and Prosecuting Counsel. At the time he left active duty, he was a Major and the Chief of Military Justice for Fifth U.S. Army, then located at Fort Sheridan, Illinois.

He joined Jim Crawford in the practice of law in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1968. In August of 2003 he completed ADR training and has served as a mediator in a variety of cases, including motor vehicle accidents, legal malpractice, medical malpractice, employment law, construction disputes, architect malpractice, workers' compensation, sexual voyeurism, mechanic's lien foreclosure and breach of contract. The personal injury cases include death, emotional distress, very serious injury, and soft tissue injury. In July 2004 he completed complex litigation ADR training, and as part of his practice he continues to serve as a mediator.

His outside interests include travel, sports, wine and music. He has been active in political, church and charitable organizations. He lives with his wife, Dee, just outside of Cedar Rapids and has two daughters, Megan and Tricia. Megan is a Journalism graduate of the University of Iowa and is now a free-lance advertising consultant in Chicago. Tricia graduated in Psychology at the University of Iowa and received her Masters Degree at St. Louis University. She is a family and children's counselor at Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids.

Areas of Practice

• Personal Injury Law
• Product Liability Law
• Insurance Law
• Employment Discrimination and Civil Rights
• Professional Negligence Law
• Civil Litigation and Appeals
• Mediation

Litigation Percentage

• 87% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Certification/Specialties

• Mediator, Certified by the American Academy of ADR Attorneys
• Mediator, Certified by the Iowa Supreme Court

Bar Admissions

• Iowa, 1963
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Iowa, 1963
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Iowa, 1983
• U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, 1964
• U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit, 1964
• U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 1976
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1968

Education

• Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, District of Columbia
  J.D.
  
  
• University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
  B.A.
  Major: Political Science
  
  

Representative Cases

• United Fire & Cas. Co. v. Shelly Funeral Home Inc., 642 NW2d 648 (Iowa Supreme Court 2002)
• Olson v. Prosoco, Inc. (Product Liability), 522 N.W.2d 284 (Iowa 1994)
• Iowa Electric Light and Power Company v. Mobile Aerial Towers, Inc. (Collateral Estoppel/res judicata), 723 F2d 50 (8th Cir. (Iowa) 1983)
• Crowley v. Glessner, 328 N.W.2d 513 (Jury Misconduct) (Iowa 1983)
• Linn County v. City of Hiawatha (Handicapped Housing), 311 N.W.2d 95 (Iowa 1981)
• Rowen v. LeMars Mutual (Insurance-derivative Action), 282 N.W.2d 639 (Iowa 1981)
• State v. Gilmore (Evidence Issue in Murder Case), 282 N.W.2d 639 (Iowa 1979)
• Walles v. I.B.E.W. & Bechtel (Right to Work Statute), 252 N.W.2d 701 (Iowa 1977)
• State v. White (Final Argument Issue), 225 N.W.2d 104 (Iowa 1975)
• United States v. Cartano (Constitutional Validity of State Statute), 534 F.2d 788 (U.S. Ct. App., 8th Cir. 1976)
• Keasling v. Thompson (Equal Protection/Constitution Law), 217 N.W.2d 687 (Iowa 1974)

Representative Clients

• Chubb Insurance Group
• Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company
• Iowa Mutual Insurance Company
• Jelinek Olmstead Construction, Inc.
• Paulson Construction Company
• Pekin Insurance Company
• Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.L.P.

References

• US Bank
• Alliant Energy

Honors and Awards

• Fellow, Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers, 1976 - Present

Professional Associations and Memberships

• American Academy of ADR Attorneys, 2004 - Present
  
  
• Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers, 1997 - 1998
  President
  
  
• Judicial Nominating Commission for the Sixth Judicial District
  
  

Past Employment Positions

• United States Army, Judge Advocate General Corps (JAGC), Major, 1963 - 1968

Birth Information

• 1937, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America