Gov. Kim Reynolds names new special counsel

DES MOINES - Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Friday that Michael Boal of Urbandale has been promoted to senior legal counsel in her administration, succeeding Sam Langholz, who will become an assistant attorney general at the end of the month.

Boal has served as the governor's deputy legal counsel since November 2018.

'Michael is an incredible asset to my team, and I'm fully confident in his legal and leadership abilities,” Reynolds said in a statement.

Before joining the governor's office, Boal was in private practice at a law firm in Des Moines.

After graduating from the University of Nebraska College of Law, he clerked for district court judges in Iowa's 5th Judicial District and for Iowa Supreme Court Justice Edward Mansfield.

In announcing Langholz's departure, Reynolds said he is a 'brilliant legal mind” who 'brought unmatched talent and professionalism in service to the people of Iowa.”

Langholz, a Clear Lake native who now lives in Ankeny, joined the governor's office in July 2018.

He previously served as the state's public defender and in the administrations of Reynolds and former Gov. Terry Branstad as chief administrative law judge of the Administrative Hearings Division of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals.

Attorney General Tom Miller said Langholz will focus on civil litigation and appellate work.