Des Moines attorney appointed president of Iowa State Bar

Des Moines Attorney Guy Cook was sworn in last week as the Iowa State Bar Association's 127

^th

president during a ceremony in West Des Moines.

Cook, a senior partner with Grefe and Sidney law firm, has been an attorney more than 30 years. He is well known as a criminal defense lawyer who has handled high-profile white collar crimes and complex civil litigation cases throughout the state.

As bar president, Cook has made one of his top goals to focus on the next generation of lawyers, according to  media release. This is particularly important now “because the practice of law is changing so rapidly,” Cook said in the June issue of Iowa Lawyer.

“The explosion in technology, and the logarithmic increase in the pace of law practice present increasing challenges to the next generation of lawyers,” Cook said in the article.

Cook also said he will reach out to the public and be willing to explain facts about legal issues, according to the release. In addition, he will also continue to protect the legal profession and the judiciary in Iowa from unfair attacks by addressing any misinformation leveled against them.

Cook took a prominent role in the bar's campaign to support the retention of Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins last year.

Cook will serve a one-year term as president.

The ISBA is a voluntary organization of more than 8,000 lawyers and judges who are licensed to practice law in the state of Iowa. The bar is the oldest of the voluntary bars in the country and has been in continuous operation since it was founded in 1874.