Elizabeth B. Burnett

Background

With a passion for government law and the impact her work has on Iowa’s communities and citizens, Elizabeth joined the Ahlers firm in 2021 as part of the Public Law Practice Area, focused on Public Finance law. She also currently serves as the chair of the firm's Wellbeing Committee.

As a bond lawyer, Elizabeth works with cities, counties, and municipal utilities in the planning and financing of capital projects. This includes planning sessions, public meetings, analysis of state law and constitutional authority, working with financial advisors, and preparing proceedings for the sale and issuance of governmental bonding for a wide variety of projects.

Elizabeth has prior experience working for both state of Iowa and federal agencies, which has given her a broad perspective of how government agencies work, as well as a strong understanding of state and federal regulations. Prior to joining Ahlers, she was an Attorney with the Iowa Department of Revenue – Legal Services and Appeals division, where she provided legal advice on complex tax laws, regulations, and policies for executive and administrative branch agencies, taxpayers, state legislators, and federal authorities. She also served as counsel to the Director of Revenue.

During law school, she served as a law clerk for two federal agencies: the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Counsel to the Inspector General in Washington, D.C.; and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Law Program in Atlanta, Georgia. She also served as a summer law clerk in 2017 for the Honorable George J. Limbert, Magistrate, United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio. Prior to law school, Elizabeth worked for three years at Cerner Corporation in Kansas City. Serving as a lead consultant for this healthcare technology company, she worked closely with hospital teams of administrators, doctors, and staff to design and implement electronic medical record systems in healthcare systems throughout the country.