Jenna H. Sabroske
Email:
Tel/Direct:
515-246-0328
Tel/Main:
515-243-7611
Address:
100 Court Avenue, Suite 600
Des Moines, IA 50309
Assistant:
Melissa Pearson
515-246-4402
mpearson@ahlerslaw.com
Practice Groups
Court Admissions
All Iowa Courts
Education
J.D. (Highest Honors), Drake University, 2017
B.A., (Summa Cum Laude), Creighton University, 2014
Bar Admissions
Iowa, 2017
Background
Jenna joined the firm in 2017 as a member of the firm’s Government Law Practice Area, after clerking with the firm while she attended Drake Law School, and became a shareholder in 2023. Jenna primarily works with cities and counties throughout the state of Iowa. Jenna’s practice centers around assisting cities and counties with economic development, real estate transactions, land use issues such as zoning and annexation, as well as general municipal matters. Additionally, Jenna works as part of the attorney team serving as city attorney/general counsel to several cities.
Jenna currently serves as the Firm’s Economic Development/Urban Renewal Practice Group leader. Within the Economic Development/Urban Renewal portion of her practice, Jenna advises Iowa municipalities on the utilization of various economic development tools and programs, including urban renewal/tax increment financing (TIF), urban revitalization/tax abatement, and state incentive programs such as Workforce Housing Tax Credits and the High Quality Jobs Program. As part of this work, she creates and amends urban renewal and urban revitalization plans, structures development agreements for commercial and residential development, and assists municipalities in the adoption process for these plans and agreements.
Within the Real Estate & Environmental Practice Group portion of her practice, Jenna helps clients navigate real estate transactions from start to finish. She is experienced in preparing and negotiating purchase/sale agreements, reviewing abstracts, and writing title opinions. Overlapping with her general municipal practice, Jenna advises her municipal clients on the specific requirements and processes for governmental entities in these transactions.
While attending Drake Law School, Jenna competed on the ABA Negotiations and ABA Client Counseling teams and worked on the Drake Law Review, serving as Executive Editor during her final year of law school. During law school, Jenna completed 60+ hours of uncompensated legal work in the public sector, earning a Public Service Certificate upon her graduation.
Representative Projects
- Negotiate terms for development agreements involving various forms of public incentives, including the sale of city-owned land and Tax Increment Financing (“TIF”) incentives
- Assist cities in annexation proceedings, including representing city clients in matters before the City Development Board (administrative board of the Iowa Economic Development Authority)
- Help cities understand and evaluate tools to incentivize development of new residential subdivisions and in-fill housing
Memberships
Iowa State Bar Association – Young Lawyers Division
Polk County Bar Association
Polk County Women Attorneys
Recognitions
Selected to give keynote address at Drake Law Review Awards Banquet, March 2019
Order of the Barristers
Order of the Coif
Iowa State Bar Association, 2017 Graduating Senior Award
Drake University Law School, 2017 Public Service Certificate
Speaking/Presentations
Jenna's most recent speaking engagements include:
Iowa County Engineers Association - ISAC Spring Conference, "Overview of Iowa TIF Rules/Regulations and the Basics of 28E Agreements," with Mark Nahra, Woodbury County, March 2024
American Society of Civil Engineers, 2023 ASCE Land Surveying Conference, "Surveyor Right of Entry in Iowa," with Maria Brownell, November 2023
Iowa Municipal Attorneys Association, Annual Seminar, "Providing Public Funds to Private Entities," with Nathan Overberg, November 2023
Iowa Municipal Professionals Institute 2023, "Financing Options and Economic Development," with Maria Brownell, Jason Comisky, and Kristin Cooper, October 2023
Iowa Public Procurement Association - Spring Meeting & Training Conference, "Providing Funds to Private Entities for a Public Purpose," with Nathan Overberg, April 2023
Iowa State Association of Counties - Spring Conference, "Providing Funds to Private Entities for a Public Purpose," with Nathan Overberg, March 2023
Iowa State Association of County Auditors, "Introduction to Real Estate Law, Documents of Transfer, and Auditor Responsibilities," November 2022
Iowa Municipal Professionals Institute 2022, "Financing Options and Economic Development," with Maria Brownell, Jason Comisky, and Kristin Cooper, October 2022
Iowa Municipal Finance Officers Association, Fall Conference, "Open Records," with Emily Kolbe, October 2022
Iowa League of Cities, Annual Conference, "Providing Funds to Private Entities for a Public Purpose," with Nathan Overberg, and "Fostering Childcare Availability in Your City," September 2022
Iowa Municipal Professionals Institute 2021, "Financing Options and Economic Development," with Maria Brownell, Jason Comisky, and Kristin Cooper, October 2021
Iowa City/County Management Association, Iowa Municipal Management Institute, "Property Acquisition 101: What to do When Negotiations Fall Apart," with Kristine Stone and Maria Brownell, March 2021
Iowa Municipal Professionals Institute 2020, "Financing Options and Economic Development." with Maria Brownell, Jason Comisky, and Kristin Cooper, July 2020
Iowa League of Cities, Annual Conference, “Should Your City Use Urban Renewal Minimum Assessment Agreements?,” with Nathan Overberg, September 2019
Iowa Municipal Professionals Institute 2019, “Financing Options and Economic Development,” with Maria Brownell, Jason Comisky and Kristin Cooper, July 2019
Iowa State Association of County Auditors, Summer Conference, "The Auditor's role in Real Estate Transactions." July 2019
Iowa League of Cities, Annual Conference, "Beyond Buildings: Creating Jobs Through Urban Renewal" with Nathan Overberg, September 2018
Iowa Municipal Finance Officers Association, Spring Conference, "TIF Basics" with Nathan Overberg, April 2018
Published Articles & Books
Cityscape, Iowa League of Cities, Vol 79 No. 09, "Annexation Procedures and Strategies: What to Know Before You Grow," co-authored with Maria Brownell, March 2024
Cityscape, Iowa League of Cities, Vol 78 No. 11, "What to Know Before You Let It Go: Vacating and Conveying Real Property Interests," co-authored with Logan Brundage, May 2023
Cityscape, Iowa League of Cities, Vol 75 No.10, "Electronic Meeting Guidance," April 2020
Cityscape, Iowa League of Cities, Vol 75 No. 9, “Questions Answered: Helping Communities Thrive,” March 2020
Ahlers & Cooney, Iowa Urban Renewal Law, A Primer from Ahlers & Cooney, original authors: Mark Cory and Patricia Martin, authors of 2018 update: Jenna Bishop, Jason Comisky and Nathan Overberg, 2018
Two Decades of Obscenity and Free Speech Issues in Hong Kong, with a U.S. Comparative Perspective, co-authored with Drake Law Professor Mark S. Kende, 46 Ga. J. Int’l & Comp. L. 317, 2018
Note, Weeding the Garden of Pesticide Regulation: When the Marijuana Industry Goes Unchecked, 65 Drake L. Rev. 223, 2017
Professional, Community and Civic Leadership
Drake University Law School, Recent Alumni Engagement Board (2020 - present), Secretary (2020-2022), Vice Chair (2022-2023), Chair (2023-2024)
Iowa State Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division – PR Committee & Communications Chair (2017-2019)
Polk County Women Attorneys
- Board of Directors (2018-2021)
- Community Engagement Chair (2020, 2021)
- Basket Auction Co-Chair (2019)
- Law School Liaison (2018)
Pi Beta Phi Des Moines Alumnae Club
Des Moines Community Playhouse, Curtain Crowd – Sponsorship Chair for Playhouse's 100th Anniversary