Former U.S. Representative Bruce Braley is returning to the practice of law as a plaintiff’s attorney. The full press release from the Denver-based law firm of Leventhal & Puga is after the jump (hat tip to Ed Tibbetts of the Quad-City Times).
No doubt Iowa Republicans will have a field day with the unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate moving to Colorado, but Braley may do some legal work here in the future; today’s announcement indicates that Leventhal & Puga “has plans to open an office in Iowa later this year.” In any case, former Republican Representative Jim Ross Lightfoot has mostly done lobbying work in Washington, DC since losing the 1998 governor’s race to Tom Vilsack. Choosing to live and work outside the state of Iowa is not a character flaw.
DENVER, April 2, 2015 PRNewswire — Leventhal & Puga, P.C., announced today that Bruce Braley, a former Congressman from Iowa, has moved to Denver to join the firm.
Most recently, Braley represented the First District of Iowa in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2014.
Prior to that, he practiced law for 23 years with Dutton, Braun, Staack & Hellman, P.L.C., in Waterloo, Iowa, and is licensed to practice in all trial and appellate courts in the State of Iowa, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. His admission to the Colorado Bar is pending.
Braley has served as President of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association and on the Board of Governors of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (now the American Association for Justice). As a member of ATLA, he served as Chair-Elect of the Professional Negligence Section. He was also a member of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group, Medical Negligence Information Exchange Group, and Attorneys Information Exchange Group.
He was also elected President of the Iowa Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has been named a Fellow in the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, the National College of Advocacy, and the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers. Braley graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1983.
In addition, Braley has previously served on the Iowa Supreme Court’s Rules of Professional Conduct Drafting Committee, the Governor’s Task Force to Protect Iowans’ Consumer Privacy, and the Federal Practice Committee for the Northern District of Iowa.
“Bruce is one of the most accomplished trial lawyers in the country – I have known him for over 15 years. He is a skilled trial lawyer whose expertise in medical malpractice, product liability, truck accidents and personal injury gained him national recognition before he decided to dedicate years to public service as a United States Congressman,” said Senior Partner Jim Leventhal.
“We are elated that he has decided to join our firm. Bruce shares our commitment to making sure our clients are provided with the very best legal representation possible.”
Leventhal & Puga also has plans to open an office in Iowa later this year.
“I’m excited to be joining the outstanding team at Leventhal & Puga in Denver,” Braley said. “Jim Leventhal has been a good friend and mentor for many years, and I’m looking forward to helping people seek justice when they have been harmed.”
About Leventhal & Puga, P.C.
Renowned as Colorado’s premier plaintiffs’ personal injury and medical malpractice firm, Leventhal & Puga, P.C., handles a wide array of cases from aviation to trucking to insurance bad faith. The firm offers a unique blend of professionalism and outside-the-box solutions.
Bringing a deep understanding of law and medicine to each case, Leventhal & Puga attorneys use their comprehensive knowledge and proven expertise to expand, create and refine their techniques to address the unique circumstances of each case.
As a result of this innovative approach, the firm’s lawyers have achieved multiple groundbreaking decisions in the fields of medical negligence and personal injury. The firm offers its services to those who need them regardless of income level, advancing the cost of litigation for clients who cannot afford to pay.
Jim Leventhal is a member of The Inner Circle of Advocates: Membership is by invitation only and limited to the top 100 trial lawyers in the United States. The Best Lawyers in America ranked Leventhal & Puga a top-tiered law firm in Colorado in both medical malpractice law and personal injury litigation.
2 Comments
Bruce Braley
When I saw Bruce speak at the Harkin Steak Fry (several times) and numerous events around the state, before he was a candidate for the U.S. Senate he seemed fairly relaxed, down to Earth, comfortable in Iowa and his own skin.
Something changed during this campaign. I think he got rattled under the pressure…of replacing Tom Harkin, maybe? He came across as too standoffish, skipping events in smaller communities during the process. I also think some of his advisers told him all he had to do was roll out of bed to get 48% of the vote, Could be wrong about that, but that was the way things felt.
moderateiadem Thu 2 Apr 9:45 PM
he wasn't a great candidate
but in a year like 2014, even if he had run a flawless campaign he probably would have lost–just by a smaller margin.
He mostly represented the first district well. It’s too bad the other side was able to paint him as a guy who didn’t show up for work and didn’t care about veterans. That could not have been further from the truth.
desmoinesdem Thu 2 Apr 10:25 PM