Brandon R. Underwood

Brandon Underwood is an experienced trial lawyer and appellate litigator.  He’s first chaired jury trials in Iowa and Minnesota in disputes involving millions of dollars, taken many bench trials to judgment, and briefed and argued several appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the Iowa Court of Appeals, and the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Brandon has also successfully opposed a petition for writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court.

With more than a decade in practice and three years as a federal district court and state supreme court law clerk, Brandon represents clients in complex commercial, construction, and appellate matters nationwide, helping businesses navigate high-stakes disputes through litigation, arbitration, mediation, and appeal.  In his construction practice, Brandon represents owners, developers, and contractors on public and private construction projects.  In his litigation practice, Brandon represents businesses and individuals in disputes involving contracts, insurance coverage, real estate, products liability, civil RICO, business torts, fraud, trade secrets, non-compete agreements, and mergers and acquisitions.

Before entering private practice, Brandon served as a law clerk to the Honorable Stephanie M. Rose of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa and to the Honorable Justice Bruce B. Zager of the Iowa Supreme Court. Those clerkships provided him with valuable insight into judicial decision-making at both the trial and appellate levels, experience that continues to inform his strategic and practical advocacy.

• Obtained dismissal as a sanction of a federal civil RICO case in which the opposing party sought over $30 million in damages.
• Obtained summary judgment in a federal civil RICO case involving over $6 million in damages and successfully defended the dismissal on appeal.
• Represented numerous insureds in federal courts in multi-million dollar insurance-coverage disputes presenting issues of first impression in Iowa and Minnesota.
• Defended contractor in personal injury jury trial and obtained reversal of damages award exceeding $20 million.
• Successful opposed to preliminary injunctions following evidentiary hearings in intellectual property trade-secrets case.
• Represented a contractor in a federal constitutional challenge to Iowa’s public-adjuster statute.
• Handled the first known appeal of a case arising from Iowa’s Anti-SLAPP statute.
• Obtained a jury verdict exceeding $1 million in a construction-equipment lease dispute.
• Obtained reversal on appeal of a nearly $1 million damages award entered after a bench trial in a construction dispute.
• Defeated claims against a national wireless carrier involving a tower lease.
• Defeated veil-piercing claims under Iowa law following a bench trial.
• Successfully defended a healthcare entity at trial and on appeal against claims alleging breach of fiduciary duty.
• Obtained a preliminary injunction in a trade secrets and non-compete dispute following a two-day evidentiary hearing in federal court.
• Obtained dismissal of claims against a foreign manufacturer in federal court for lack of personal jurisdiction.
• Obtained affirmance in the Eighth Circuit of rulings dismissing retaliation, discrimination, and harassment claims and successfully opposed a petition for writ of certiorari in the United States Supreme Court.
• Obtained summary judgment for an insurer in a case challenging the denial of life-insurance benefits.
• Obtained summary judgment for a local bank in litigation arising from employee embezzlement.
• Obtained summary judgment in federal court for a national telecommunications client in a contract dispute with a local government.
• Obtained dismissal of multiple federal actions against a student-loan servicer, including claims alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
• Represented multiple employers in matters alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Education

• University of Iowa College of Law, J.D., 2013, with high distinction
• University of Iowa, B.A., 2010

Admissions

• Iowa, 2013
• Minnesota, 2021
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, 2016
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, 2016
• U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, 2021
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, 2023
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2021
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, 2022
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Iowa, 2021
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Iowa, 2017
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 2019
• U.S. Supreme Court, 2020

Clerkships

• Law Clerk, Honorable Stephanie M. Rose, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, 2014-2016
• Law Clerk, Honorable Justice Bruce B. Zager, Iowa Supreme Court, 2013-2014

• Pro Bono Honor Roll, Iowa State Bar Association, 2025
• Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Construction Law, 2021-2025; Labor and Employment Law-Management, 2021-2025
• Great Plains Super Lawyers Rising Star, Business Litigation, 2018; Construction Litigation, 2019-2023
• North Star Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2021-2022
• Outstanding Student Writer Award, Journal of Corporation Law, Volume 37

Professional Activities

• Iowa State Bar Association, Council Member, Construction Law Section Council, 2017-present
• Iowa State Bar Association, Member
• Polk County Bar Association, Member
• Commission on Continuing Legal Education (CLE), 2023-2026
• Associated General Contractors of Iowa Leadership Academy, 2017-2018
• Blackstone Inn of Court, Associate 2017-2018
• Ankeny Young Professionals
• Journal of Corporation Law, Administrative Editor, Volume 38; Writer, Volume 37

Community

• Spina Bifida Association of Iowa, Board of Directors, 2017-2020