As BrownWinick Law marks its 75th anniversary, the firm does so from a position it earned one relationship at a time: the largest Iowa-based law firm. That standing did not come from a single moment, but from many pivotal moments across seven and a half decades of growth, commitment, and future-defining decisions.
Founded in 1951, BrownWinick Law has grown from a small Des Moines practice into a full-service firm serving clients across 10 practices and 25+ industries, with client partnerships that have been fostered over 25+ and 50+ years. Combined, 95 attorneys share 1,433 years of legal experience, with more than half of current attorneys spending nearly their entire careers at BrownWinick.
Throughout that growth, the firm’s approach has remained consistent: acting as a long-term partner invested in the success of the businesses they serve. That philosophy has produced client relationships measured in decades and spanning business formations, expansions, regulatory challenges, turnarounds, successions, and reinventions—often across multiple generations of leadership within the same organization.
“Being the largest Iowa-based law firm is a reflection of the trust our clients have placed in us over 75 years, not the goal itself,” said Cindy Lande, Managing Partner at BrownWinick. “Our growth has always been driven by the evolving needs of our clients and the opportunities in the markets we serve. When clients expand into new industries, new markets, or face increasingly complex challenges, we invest in the talent, practice areas, and specialized expertise needed to help them succeed. We continually broaden our capabilities, strengthen our teams, and deepen our knowledge so we can serve clients wherever their ambitions take them. That’s how a firm becomes a long-term strategic partner rather than a single transaction.”
A Pivotal Moment: Helping Build Iowa’s Innovation Economy
Few stories capture BrownWinick’s growth philosophy as clearly as its partnership with Next Level Ventures. In the early 2010s, Iowa’s startup and venture capital ecosystem was still in its infancy, with limited access to early-stage capital and a legal framework not yet built to support scalable innovation funds.
Around 2012, entrepreneur and investor Craig Ibsen approached BrownWinick with an ambitious idea: create Iowa’s first Certified Innovation Fund and establish a structure capable of supporting long-term startup investment across the region. The challenge went well beyond forming a traditional investment vehicle. Existing laws and regulatory structures weren’t designed for the kind of innovation-focused fund Next Level envisioned, so BrownWinick attorneys worked alongside the company to help shape and navigate the legislative and rule-making changes needed to make it possible.
The partnership also required something more personal: shared risk. Recognizing the initiative’s broader economic potential, BrownWinick agreed to share in the risk of success or failure alongside Next Level through the fund’s capital raise and closing—investing months of time, strategy, and legal guidance with no guarantee of success.
The effort succeeded, and the journey continues more than a decade later. Next Level Ventures became Iowa’s first Certified Innovation Fund and expanded from a single fund into multiple investment platforms, including Next Level Ventures Funds I, II, and III, along with Curql Funds I and II. Together, those funds have supported more than 50 startups and emerging companies across the country, positioning Iowa as an increasingly credible player in the national innovation economy.
“BrownWinick took a real risk with us in those early days, and that shared commitment set the tone for everything since,” said Craig Ibsen, Founder of Next Level Ventures. “Over more than a decade, they’ve been part of nearly every meaningful decision we’ve made. That kind of continuous partnership is hard to find and even harder to replace.”
In the years that followed, BrownWinick became Next Level’s trusted legal partner across virtually every dimension of the business, guiding:
● Portfolio investments and follow-on rounds
● Transaction negotiations
● Fund formations and closings
● Regulatory and compliance matters
● Governance questions
● Everyday issues of operating a growing investment platform.
That continuity compounded over time, giving the firm a depth of institutional knowledge that allows it to move quickly when opportunities or challenges arise.
“This was more than a legal engagement—it was a shared belief in what Iowa’s innovation economy could become,” said Chris Sackett, Member Attorney at BrownWinick. “Some of the most meaningful client relationships begin before success is guaranteed. This was one of those moments where collaboration, trust, and a shared vision helped create something that continues to generate impact more than a decade later.”
Positioned to Lead the Next 75 Years
The Next Level Ventures story reflects BrownWinick’s broader approach to client partnerships: not simply providing legal services, but helping organizations navigate uncertainty, build new opportunities, and create long-term economic impact. It’s an approach that has guided businesses from startup to scaled enterprise, through regulatory complexity, capital raises, business turnarounds, and multi-state growth.
That same entrepreneurial thinking and forward-looking counsel is what has carried BrownWinick to its place as Iowa’s largest law firm. As BrownWinick approaches its 75th anniversary celebration this July, its leaders say the milestone is less a finish line than a foundation for what comes next.
“What began as a high-risk idea became a catalyst for entrepreneurial growth, investment, and innovation in Iowa and beyond,” said Sackett. “That’s the kind of impact we want to keep creating. The next 75 years will be defined by the same thing that built the first: showing up for our clients’ most pivotal moments and helping them move forward.”
About BrownWinick Law Firm
BrownWinick Law Firm is a full-service law firm based in Des Moines, Iowa, and the largest law firm in Iowa. For 75 years, the firm has partnered with business owners, executives, and organizations to navigate complex legal and strategic challenges. Known for its practical approach and long-term perspective, BrownWinick serves as a trusted advisor to clients across industries and throughout every stage of business growth.
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