Criminal defense attorneys Katie Sears and John Sears live and work in Ankeny IA and accept cases in the surrounding area, including in Des Moines, IA.
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Johnathan Sears
John Sears graduated from Drake Law School in 2017. While attending, John maintained an emphasis in criminal law. He and his Partner, Katherine Sears, were the only two in their class to earn the Prosecution and Defense Certificate upon graduation.
As part of Drake’s Advanced Criminal Defense Clinic, John Sears had firsthand responsibility for a variety of cases, from simple assaults to felony charges. With a careful application of the Iowa Code and case law, he achieved several dismissals. He worked with Robert Rigg, co-author of Iowa Practice Series: Criminal Law, on a First Degree Murder case.
John was awarded the Davis, Brown, Keohen, Shors, & Roberts Award for Excellence in Advocacy when arguing in front of the Iowa Supreme Court. Through an internship with the Polk County Attorneys Office and as a member of the AAJ Mock Trial team, John has spent hundreds of hours in the courtroom.
Organizations:
Iowa State Bar Association
American Bar Association
Katherine Sears
**If I’m not at a court appearance, I usually work from home so that I’m around to be a mom for my kids. I can meet at the office for client meetings, but I usually have a baby in my lap on days I’m working from home. If you’d rather email than call, my email address is [email protected]**
I graduated from Drake Law School in 2017, where I’d maintained an emphasis in criminal law. John and I met in law school. We were there on the same scholarship and accidentally ended up in all the same classes. We represented indigent clients together through Drake’s Advanced Criminal Defense Clinic. We earned Prosecution and Defense Certificates when we graduated, and then we ended up married, working together, and parenting two boys.
Graduating in 2017 means that I’m a pretty new attorney, My relative inexperience means that I haven’t had time to get stuck in my ways — I’m perfectly happy to file unconventional motions or to try new arguments to try to get you the best possible outcome.
I write most of the blog posts on the site. I’d rather not write in the third person (so I don’t.) I like big, colorful words, but I try not to use too many of them. If I get carried away and you’re not sure what I’m talking about, please ask me to slow down or explain.
It’s important for you to know what’s going on in your case. I’ll keep in touch and make sure you know what’s going on, what your options are, and what you can expect to happen next.
When we meet for a consultation, you can tell me about what’s happened to you. I need to know what the State is saying that you did, what you told them, and what evidence they might have. The more information I have, the more accurately I can help you evaluate your chances of being acquitted at trial. I also need to know about your past criminal charges and whether you’re on probation or parole. Your criminal history impacts both what sorts of plea offers you might be given and what might happen at sentencing.
I’ll research possible defenses and ways to argue for mitigation of charges, review the state’s discovery materials and explain their contents to you, clearly explain your options, respond promptly to your communications, and handle your case in a manner consistent with your choices.
Organizations:
Iowa State Bar Association
American Bar Association
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
