Rachel R. Fritz
Email:
Tel/Direct:
515-246-0359
Tel/Main:
515-243-7611
Address:
100 Court Avenue
Suite 600
Des Moines, IA 50309
Assistant:
Alice Parker
515-246-4407
aparker@ahlerslaw.com
Practice Groups
Court Admissions
All Iowa Courts
Education
J.D. (High Honors), Drake University Law School, 2023
B.A. (with Honors), Drake University, Political Science and Psychology, 2020
Bar Admissions
Iowa, 2023
Background
Rachel knew at an early age growing up in a southeastern Iowa farm community that she wanted to be a lawyer. Rachel joined the Ahlers firm in 2023 and works with clients in both the Education Law Practice Area and the Private Law Practice Area.
Rachel works with K-12 school districts and Area Education Agencies on a variety of matters. She drafts and reviews contracts, policies, and procedures to assist clients in maintaining legal compliance with changing laws and regulations. She also works with the education law team on various student issues.
In the Private Law Practice Area, Rachel works on transactional matters for businesses, including procurement and contracting, real estate and development agreements, and business formation and acquisition.
Rachel served as a law clerk for Ahlers & Cooney spring semester 2023. Throughout law school, Rachel served as a Judicial Extern for Iowa Supreme Court Justice Brent R. Appel, worked at the Drake Entrepreneurial and Transactional Clinic, and served as a law clerk for two Des Moines area law firms. Prior to law school, Rachel worked as a student legal assistant in the Drake Legal Clinic, as an intern for the Department of Homeland Security in Des Moines, as a student legal intern in the Des Moines County Attorney’s Office, and as an intern at Bread for the World in Washington D.C.
Memberships
American Bar Association
Iowa State Bar Association
Polk County Bar Association
Iowa Council of School Board Attorneys
National School Board Association Council of School Attorneys
Recognitions
Jeff Gilbert Award, greatest contributions to Drake Law Review, 2022
Drake Law School, CALI Excellence Award – National Security Law (highest scoring student in this law class)
Drake Law School, First Year Oral Arguments, Semi-Finalist, 2021
Speaking/Presentations
Iowa Association of School Boards, Annual Convention, "Everything Under the Sun - Iowa's Open Meetings & Public Records Laws," with Emily Ellingson, November 2024
Ahlers & Cooney, P.C., Title IX Seminar, "What is Equal Educational Opportunity?," with Brett Nitzschke, June 2024
Published Articles & Books
A Decade of Unreliability: A Closer Look at how Miller v. Alabama has Placed Unwarranted Power in the Hands of Judges and Parole Boards, Drake Law Review (Forthcoming)
Professional, Community and Civic Leadership
Drake Law School, Recent Alumni Engagement Board (2024-2027), Social Media Chair
Drake Law Review, Executive Editor, 2022-2023; Junior Staff, 2021-2022
Moot Court Board
- National Appellate Advocacy Competition Moot Court Team, 2021-2022
Drake Law Women, Co-Chair, Baskets to Benefit Committee, 2021-2022