Our Attorneys

Position: Member
E-Mail jsteffens@simmonsperrine.com
115 3rd Street SE, Suite 1200
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401-1266

Phone 319-366-7641
Fax 319-366-1917
vCard

Mr. Steffens is a member in the Cedar Rapids office of Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman PLC, where he has practiced since 2003. He is engaged in a civil litigation, trial, and appellate practice in state and federal courts.

Commercial Litigation and Business Torts. Mr. Steffens has represented companies and individuals in claims involving business contracts, trade secrets, shareholders' derivative actions, stock agreements, breaches of fiduciary duty, covenants not to compete, and collection actions.

Probate Litigation. Mr. Steffens has represented individuals in a variety of litigated probate matters, including will contests, claims disputes, fiduciary duty actions, interference with inheritance claims, and disputes concernings trusts, conservatorships, and guardianships.

Construction and Design Litigation. Mr. Steffens has represented engineers and architects in construction and design disputes, including with respect to multi-million dollar projects.

Appellate Practice. Mr. Steffens has handled numerous appeals before the Iowa Supreme Court and Iowa Court of Appeals in a variety of matters.

Insurance Disputes. Mr. Steffens has represented insurance companies and individuals in insurance policy analysis and coverage disputes.

Premises and Product Liability. Mr. Steffens has representated both plaintiffs and defendants, including large retailers, manufacturers, and individuals, in personal injury actions involving premises liability, products liability, and automobile accidents.

Mr. Steffens is a member of the Iowa and Linn County Bar Associations and the Iowa Defense Counsel Association. He has served as chair of the Technology Committee of the Linn County Bar Association since 2006.

Mr. Steffens graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2003, with distinction. At Iowa, Mr. Steffens served as a Note & Comment Editor for Volume 88 of the Iowa Law Review. Mr. Steffens received his B.A., magna cum laude, in 2000 from Wartburg College, where he majored in History and minored in Religion.

Mr. Steffens is a 2008 graduate of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce's Leadership for Five Seasons program and a 2007 graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy.

Mr. Steffens is the treasurer of his church and serves on the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cedar Rapids.

Mr. Steffens and his wife have three kids, two sons and a daughter.

Publications

• "Protect your company with electronically stored information policies in place," Edge Business Magazine (June 2007)
• "Standing Issues in Derivative Actions," Defense Update (Spring 2004)
• "The ‘Peculiar’ Being: The Rights of an Unborn Child in Iowa," 88 Iowa L. Rev. 217 (2002)

Place of Birth
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Jason Steffens presents at ISHA Spring Conference on Social Media and Lawyer Ethics

On May 11, 2010, Jason Steffens presented at the Iowa Society of Healthcare Attorneys (ISHA) Spring Conference in Johnston, Iowa. Jason's topic was "Social Media and Lawyer Ethics." He discussed the increasing use of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs among lawyers and the ethical implications -- including client confidences and attorney advertising -- arising out of the use of social networking web sites.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Steve Holtman and Jason Steffens Obtain Trial Victory in a Dispute Over a Shareholders' Agreement

On July 29, 2009, the Linn County District Court entered a ruling and judgment in favor of the firm's client in an action to enforce a stock purchase agreement among the shareholders of a closely-held corporation. Steve Holtman and Jason Steffens had tried the case on behalf of the shareholder seeking to purchase the stock following the death of another shareholder. Steve and Jason successfully argued that the purchase price of the stock was approximately $1.1 million. The selling shareholder's Estate made a number of arguments to increase the price to approximately $3.5 million. The court ruled in favor of the firm's client on each of the arguments designed to increase the purchase price.

Monday, June 08, 2009

Jason Steffens and Kyle Wilcox to Present at Probate Law Seminar

Jason Steffens and Kyle Wilcox will be among the presenters at a one-day seminar on the “Oddities and Challenges in Probate Law.” The seminar will take place on June 30 in Cedar Rapids. It is sponsored by the National Business Institute. Kyle will present on personal representative challenges and distribution of personal property. Jason will present on issues arising in probate litigation. For more information, please see the brochure.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Firm Attorneys Present Seminar on Banking Issues

On April 2, Eric Lam, Lynn Hartman, Jason Steffens, Abbe Stensland, and Lou Ebinger presented a client seminar for banking clients addressing a number of issues.

Eric provided an update on bankruptcy laws and the Uniform Commercial Code, including potential changes to chapter 13 bankruptcies.

Lynn discussed foreclosure options for lenders and recent changes to Iowa foreclosure laws.

Jason spoke on allocation of liability in check fraud issues. He also addressed the retention and destruction of electronically stored information.

Abbe outlined a creditor's ability to utilize Iowa's small claims court procedures.

Lou discussed procedures for properly documenting collateral for secured loans.