Mark J. Wiedenfeld was born in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1950. Mark is admitted to the Iowa bar, the United States District Court for both the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
After attending Carroll Kuemper and Fort Dodge St. Edmond High Schools, Mark received his undergraduate education at the University of South Dakota (B.S., major in chemistry, minors in biology and mathematics). He worked as a chemist, supervising the quality control laboratory for a large feed company, before attending the University of Iowa College of Law (J.D., with high distinction, 1978). While in law school, Mark was a member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity.
Since graduating from law school in 1978, Mark has practiced in Des Moines. He specializes in civil personal injury litigation. His practice consists primarily of insurance defense for a variety of clients, but he also represents a select number of plaintiffs who have been injured or wronged. Mark's practice is heavily involved in negotiating settlements, preparation of cases for trial, jury trials and appeals. Among the types of cases he has handled and tried to a jury, both for defendants and plaintiffs, are:
- Motor vehicle collisions
- Car - pedestrian accidents
- Dog bites
- Employment terminations
- Employment discrimination
- Dramshop liability claims against bars and taverns
- Product liability
- Assaults
- Slip and fall
- Insurance coverage disputes
Mark was joined by Joseph P. McLaughlin in 1996, and the firm is now Wiedenfeld & McLaughlin, L.L.P.
Mark is also registered as a mediator and arbitrator with the Iowa District Court Mediation Program. Mark has provided mediation and arbitration services since 1997.
Mark is a member of the Polk County Bar Association. He is also a member of the Iowa State Bar Association. He served five years on the Polk County Bar Associations Grievance Committee, three years as chairman, and four years on the association's Board of Directors. Mark is also a member of the Iowa State Bar Association, where he was a member of the Board of Governors from 1996 to 2000. Mark is also a member of the American Bar Association (member, Litigation Section), the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Defense Research Institute, Inc., and the Iowa Defense Counsel Association.
Joseph P. McLaughlin was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1956. He is a member of the Missouri and Iowa bars and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
Joseph was raised in West Des Moines, where he graduated from Dowling High School. He received his undergraduate education at the University of Northern Iowa (B.A., major in marketing and minor in economics). He received his legal education at Drake University School of Law (J.D., with honors, 1985). While in law school, Joseph was Order of the Coif. He was also Editor-in-Chief of the Drake Law Review from 1984 to 1985. He is the author of Note, "The Inconsistencies and Confusion of Successor Corporation Liability in Product Liability Claims--Should Iowa Adopt a New Approach?" 34 Drake Law Review 161, 1984-85.
After graduating from law school, Joseph worked from 1985 to 1987 as a Judicial Clerk for the Honorable Floyd R. Gibson, United States Senior Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. From 1987 to 1992 he was with the Kansas City law firm of Hillix, Brewer, Hoffhaus Whittaker, & Wright, where he was involved in commercial litigation, primarily representing employers in employment related matters. From 1992 to 1996, Joseph was employed as Counsel with Principal Mutual Life Insurance Company in Des Moines, Iowa, where he negotiated and documented multi million dollar commercial real estate loan transactions. In 1996, he joined Mark Wiedenfeld of the Wiedenfeld Law Office and the firm is now Wiedenfeld & McLaughlin, L.L.P.
Joseph's practice has expanded since joining Mark Wiedenfeld and he has handled various cases in both state and federal court, including:
- Automobile accidents
- Pedestrian injuries
- Dog bites/attacks
- Employment terminations
- Employment discrimination
- Dramshop liability claims against bars and taverns
- Product liability claims
- Assaults
- Slips and falls
- Insurance coverage disputes
- Construction Defect/Fraud
- Probate
Joseph is a member of the Polk County and Iowa State Bar Associations. He is also a member of the Iowa Defense Counsel Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the C. Edwin Moore American Inn of Court. Joseph is a former member of the West Des Moines Chief of Police Advisory Committee.
Erika K. Eckley was born at Kinchloe, A.F.B, Michigan, in 1974. She is a member of the Iowa bar.
Erika grew up in Ft. Worth, Texas and graduated from Haltom High School. She received a degree from the Cornerstone Honors Program at Tarrant County Junior College (A.A, 1994) and a B.A. from Grand View College in Des Moines in 1997 (majoring in Creative and Performing Arts with an emphasis in communications). She obtained an M.P.A. from Iowa State University in 2003. Erika received her legal education from Drake University Law School (J.D., with high honors, 2006). While at Drake, she served as Articles Editor for the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law and was a Teaching Assistant with Legal Research and Writing from 2004-2006. Erika is a member of the Order of the Coif.
After graduating from law school, Erika served as law clerk for the judges of the Iowa District Court, Fifth Judicial District from 2006-2007. In 2007, she joined Wiedenfeld & McLaughlin, L.L.P.
Erika is a member of the Polk County, Iowa State, and American Bar Associations.
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