Emily K. Ellingson
Tel/Direct:
515-246-0361
Tel/Main:
515-243-7611
Address:
100 Court Avenue, Suite 600
Des Moines, IA 50309
Assistant:
Tehya Valenta
515-246-4426
tvalenta@ahlerslaw.com
Practice Groups
Court Admissions
All Iowa Courts
U.S. District Courts – Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa
Education
J.D., University of Iowa, 2009
B.S. (Highest Distinction), University of Iowa, 2006
Bar Admissions
Iowa, 2009
Background
Emily focuses her practice on K-12 school districts and Higher Education in Iowa, and currently serves as the firm's Employment Law Practice Group leader. She assists clients with general counsel on a variety of issues related to both employment and student issues, including student rights and discipline, special education, open meetings and public records, contract review, policy drafting, employee discipline and terminations, employee benefits compliance, ADA accommodations/interactive processes, FMLA matters, wage and hour issues, internal investigations, and Title IX training and investigations. She also works with school districts in collective bargaining and handling grievances and arbitrations.
Emily has experience handling matters before state and federal agencies, such as the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), the Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE), the Iowa Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Education, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission (ICRC), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), as well as experience with general employment litigation.
Upon graduation from law school and prior to joining Ahlers & Cooney, Emily worked for several years at a Cedar Rapids law firm, where she focused her practice on schools, cities, and counties.
Representative Projects
- Serves as or has served in various Title IX roles for various private colleges, including Interim Coordinator, Investigator, Decision-Maker, or Advisor
- Successfully defended school district from a claim by the ACLU that the school district violated the Iowa Open Records Law, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Iowa, Inc. v. Records Custodian, Atlantic Community School District, 818 N.W.2d 231 (Iowa 2012)
- Successfully represented school district in the lead case involving the interpretation of the Iowa legislature’s changes to state education funding and teacher salary schedules, Glenwood Community School District v. Glenwood Education Association, 2010 PERB 8249
Memberships
Iowa State Bar Association
Linn County Bar Association
Iowa Association of School Boards
Iowa Council of School Board Attorneys
National School Board Association Council of School Attorneys
Recognitions
Best Lawyers in America® - Employment Law - Management (2025)
Speaking/Presentations
Emily's most recent speaking engagements include:
Iowa Association of School Boards, Annual Convention, "Everything Under the Sun - Iowa's Open Meetings & Public Records Laws," with Rachel Fritz, November 2024
Ahlers & Cooney, P.C., Employment Law Seminar, "Employee Investigation / Discipline / Termination," with Miriam Van Heukelem and "FLSA Exemptions, Recent Changes, Pay Options, Etc.," November 2024
Iowa Association of School Business Officials, Fall Conference, "Disability / FMLA & Leave Policies," with Miriam Van Heukelem, October 2024
Ahlers & Cooney, P.C., Title IX Seminar, "Overview of Major Title IX Changes," with Miriam Van Heukelem, "Supportive Measures," with Danielle Haindfield and "K-12: Decision-Making and Informal Resolution," with Carrie Weber, June 2024
Iowa State University, Iowa School Business Management Academy, "Legal - Employment Law," April 2024
Iowa Association of School Business Officials, Fall Conference, "Recruit and Retain: Employee Incentives and Early Retirement," with Katherine Beenken and "Collective Bargaining Overview," September 2023
Iowa State University, Iowa School Business Management Academy, "Legal - Employment Law," May 2023
Ahlers & Cooney, Employment Law Client Seminar, "Iowa Employment Law Hot Topics," with Aaron Hilligas, Brett Nitzschke, and Miriam Van Heukelem, April 2023
Iowa Association of School Boards, Annual Convention, “Navigating Iowa’s Open Meetings & Public Records Laws,” November 2022
Newport Group, “Human Resources Legal Update,” May 2022
Iowa School Business Management Academy, “Employment Law,” April 2022
Great Prairie AEA, “Investigations 101,” February 2022
School Administrators of Iowa, “Title IX Protections for Students & Staff Members,” February 2022
Iowa Association of School Boards, Annual Convention, “Understanding the School Board’s Role in Employment Matters,” November 2021
Grant Wood AEA, “COVID-19 Mandates: What Should I Know?,” November 2021
Iowa Association of School Personnel Administrators, “Human Resources Legal Update,” October 2021
Linn County Bar Association, “Employment Law and Best Practices During and Following a Global Pandemic,” July 2021
Great Prairie AEA, “Davis-Bacon Act for School Districts,” May 2021
School Administrators of Iowa, “Title IX Training for School Districts,” February 2021
Iowa Association of School Personnel Administrators, “Handling EEOC Complaints,” October 2020
Iowa Association of School Boards, “What Should We Be Asking: Legal and HR Issues Facing School Boards During COVID-19,” July 2020
Grant Wood AEA and Great Prairie AEA, “FAQs: Returning to Work After COVID-19,” June 2020
School Administrators of Iowa, “Special Education 101,” February 2020
Professional, Community and Civic Leadership
Iowa Legal Aid, Volunteer Lawyer
Downtown Cedar Rapids Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District Commission (2018-2022), Vice-Chair (2020-2022), Chair (2022 - present)
Cedar Rapids Leadership for Five Seasons, Class of 2016
Big Brothers Big Sisters, Board of Directors
Taft Middle School Mock Trial, Attorney Coach