Diane L. Dornburg, Esq. Carney & Appleby, PLC Email Us 303 Locust Street, 400 Homestead Building Des Moines, Iowa 50309 Phone: 515-282-6803 Fax: 515-282-4700 Toll-Free: 866-863-6273

Diane L. Dornburg -- Associate Attorney, Carney & Appleby, PLC

Areas of Practice: Family Law

Diane L. Dornburg is an associate attorney with Carney & Appleby, PLC and has been practicing law since 1976. Diane was born in Wheaton, Minnesota, and attended Gustavus Adolphus College, graduating magna cum laude with a B.A. in sociology in 1973. She attended The University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, receiving her Juris Doctor in 1976. Diane was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1976 and the Iowa Bar in 1977.

Diane provided legal services to low income persons in Ann Arbor, in Muscatine, Iowa, and in Des Moines for over 25 years. She was an attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Polk County for most of that time, practicing primarily in family law. She has extensive trial and appellate experience in all areas of family law, including divorce, custody, child support, domestic abuse, and paternity. She has been the attorney of record in sixteen Iowa appellate court cases, including Jorgensen v. Vargas, 627 N.W.2d 550 (Iowa 2001).

Diane is also a mediator with the Polk County District Court Mediation Program, having fulfilled the 40-hour training requirement. She is qualified to mediate complex custody and divorce issues, including cases involving domestic abuse.

Diane taught Family Law in the MSW program at the University of Iowa School of Social Work for nearly twenty years. She co-authored the casebook for that class. She has been an adjunct faculty member at the Drake Legal Clinic, supervising clinical law students. In addition, she has been a speaker at a number of continuing legal education programs. She co-authored Family Law and Custody Issues: Family Violence and Substance Abuse (Lorman Educational Services, 1994).

Diane is a member of the Polk County Bar Association and serves on the Volunteer Lawyers Project and Family Law Committee. She is also a member of the Iowa State Bar Association, where she is the chair of the Legislative Committee of the Family Law Section and has been a member of the Family Law Section Council.

In addition, Diane has served as a volunteer facilitator of continuing care groups at Powell Chemical Dependency Center since 1985. She is a licensed foster parent. She has served on her church council and various committees, as well as teaching a variety of classes. Previously she has served on the boards of non-profit corporations for the establishment of residential facilities for chemically dependent women and on the board of Metro Women's Network.

Education

• The University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, J.D., 1976
  
• Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, Minnesota, B.A., magna cum laude, 1973. Major: Sociology

Special Interests and Experience

• Mediation of divorce and custody issues
• Collaborative family law
• Representation of children in custody or divorce
• Custody issues of substance abuse and mental health
• Domestic violence

Specialized Training and Experience

• Mediator of family law cases since 2000 (40+ hours of training, including mediation in cases with domestic abuse)
• Licensed foster parent since 1990, with annual training related to children with special needs
• Lay facilitator of continuing care groups at Powell Chemical Dependency Center since 1985
• Representation of low income clients in family law cases for more than 25 years through legal services programs in Des Moines, Muscatine, and Ann Arbor

Bar Admissions

• Michigan, 1976
  
• Iowa, 1977
  
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Polk County Bar Association
  
• Iowa State Bar Association

Related Activities

• Frequent instructor at continuing education and community education events on family law topics, including substance abuse and domestic violence in family law cases, joint physical care, and custody evaluations
  
• Legislative Chair, Family & Juvenile Law Section of the Iowa State Bar Association
  
• Family Law Committee, Polk County Bar Association
  
• Adjunct faculty, University of Iowa School of Social Work (1980-97)
  
• Adjunct faculty, Drake Legal Clinic

Community Involvement

• Walnut Street School Parent-Teacher Organization
  
• Urbandale United Church of Christ
  
• St. John’s Lutheran Church

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