Dentons Davis Brown Elects New President and Board Member

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Dentons Davis Brown Elects New President and Board Member

Dentons Davis Brown Elects New President and Board Member

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February 3, 2025

Dentons Davis Brown is pleased to announce that immigration shareholder Lori Chesser was elected by her peers to serve as President of the firm.

John Pietila, who served as President for the past six years, will transition to the role of Business Division Chair while continuing his full-time law practice. Under John’s leadership, the firm successfully combined with Dentons, expanded its representation of key clients, and navigated the challenges of an unprecedented pandemic. He will remain focused on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate representation, with an emphasis on telecommunications and agribusiness.

“Over the past six years, we’ve embraced the imperative to grow and evolve to better meet the needs of our people, our clients, and the communities we serve. Looking back, I’m proud of all we accomplished together,” Pietila said.

“John is a hard act to follow,” said Chesser, “He led our firm for six years through some challenging and exciting times. Just one example of his leadership: he was instrumental in our combination with Dentons, which we accomplished during the pandemic. And on top of that, he is an excellent lawyer.”

Dentons Davis Brown’s new president, Lori Chesser, has been with the firm since she was a summer associate in 1988. She first served on the Board from 2004-2006 and has served as Vice President for the last two years. Chesser will continue to practice during her tenure as President.

With a background in finance, Chesser began her career in corporate law before identifying a growing need for immigration services in Iowa. Over the last 30 years, she has built and led a nationally recognized immigration law practice, representing clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies across industries such as healthcare, IT, insurance, higher education, and agribusiness.

Beyond her practice, Chesser has played a key role in immigration law and policy. She co-founded the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Iowa/Nebraska Chapter, serving as its first Chair. She has held numerous leadership positions within AILA, chairing national committees and working directly with government agencies to advocate for meaningful immigration reform. Lori’s community involvement extends to serving as Chair of organizations such as Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Des Moines and Nexus Executive Women’s Alliance. She is currently a Board member of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, Central Iowa’s chamber of commerce.

Pietila said, “Looking ahead, I’m confident we will benefit from Lori’s strengths as a leader and her energy for the role. Our firm is unique, and our continued growth will be driven by our commitment to delivering results for our clients, locally and globally.”

Dentons Davis Brown also welcomes new leadership to its Board of Directors. Intellectual Property shareholder and patent attorney Matt Warner-Blankenship joins the Board, while Real Estate associate Kate Simon was appointed to serve as the Associate and Special Counsel Representative to the Board. They join Tara Hall (Vice President), Matt Laughlin (Secretary), and Sarah Franklin (who also serves as Co-General Counsel).

About Dentons Davis Brown PC Board of Directors

			Lori Chesser, President Lori is a preeminent Immigration lawyer and advocate. Lori assists employers, business owners, and individuals as they navigate the complex U.S. immigration system. Her clients range from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies in sectors including healthcare, IT, insurance, agriculture, chemical, higher education, churches, and other non-profit entities. In addition to employers and their employees, she also represents entrepreneurs starting businesses in the U.S. and individuals sponsoring family members or wanting to naturalize. Lori also serves as Immigration Department Chair and served as Vice President 2004-2006.
			Tara Hall, Vice President Tara has a general litigation practice including creditor’s rights, commercial litigation, business litigation, employment and labor relations, and appeals. Her practice includes work in several sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, real estate, and construction. Tara leads the commercial litigation team representing the United States’ second-largest multistate home healthcare provider and recently resolved for her client one of Iowa’s largest and most complex construction lawsuits in Iowa. She enjoys counseling and navigating clients through the often-complicated litigation process and identifying solutions to help them reach their goals. In addition to serving on the Board, Tara is a Dentons Litigation National Practice Co-Chair and a member of the preeminent Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers.
			Matt Laughlin, Secretary Matt works primarily in the financial services sector, across all aspects of commercial and agricultural loan enforcement and creditor/debtor relationships. He represents commercial creditors, including local, regional, and national banks and other financial institutions. He assists clients with general real estate transactions including purchases, closings, easement agreements, and compliance with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Truth in Lending Act. Matt also has a robust practice in complex business, commercial, and real estate litigation and appeals. He advises clients in landlord/tenant disputes, flood and condemnation litigation, mechanic’s liens, construction law, RICO, contract disputes, and other business and real estate litigation. In addition to serving as Secretary on the Board, Matt is also a member of the firm’s Space Planning and Finance Committees.
			Sarah Franklin, Director Sarah helps businesses with complex business and real estate litigation. She has a broad range of clients including insurance companies, banks and financial institutions, commercial property owners, individual property owners, product designers and manufacturers, and employers. Sarah has successfully first-chaired bench and jury trials before the district court, the Iowa Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Iowa, and the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals. Her more recent matters include real estate developers in disputes, business owners in partnership disputes, and insurance companies in bad faith coverage denials. In addition to her seat on the Board, Sarah is Co-General Counsel for Dentons Davis Brown.
			Matt Warner-Blankenship, Director Matt is an intellectual property and patent lawyer that practices before the Patent and Trademark Office and in Federal Court. He advises a diverse group of clients ranging from start-ups to large academic institutions and corporate entities. Matt actively manages his clients’ portfolios throughout their life cycle, by advising on freedom-to-operate and clearance, prosecuting patents and trademarks, resolving disputes and assisting in licensing, mergers and acquisitions. In addition to his work with clients and seat on the Board, Matt also teaches patent law at the University of Iowa College of Law and serves as President of the Sherman Hill Association.

About Dentons Davis Brown PC

Dentons Davis Brown is a full-service Iowa law firm providing uniquely global and deeply local legal solutions to help clients. Founded in 1929, the firm operates three offices in Iowa and is part of Dentons, the world’s largest law firm with a presence in over 80 countries. Learn more at www.dentons.com/Iowa.