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Attorney Nathaniel R. Boulton

Nathaniel R. Boulton

  • Partner

Practice Areas:

  • Workers' Compensation
  • Labor Law
  • Personal Injury
  • Employment Law
Rated By Super Lawyers | Nathaniel Boulton | 5 years

Biography

Attorney Nate Boulton is a partner with Hedberg & Boulton, P.C. Nate practiced for two years as an associate attorney before being named a partner with the firm in 2007. He earned his law degree with Honors, as well as a Certificate of Legislative Practice, from Drake Law School in May of 2005 and was admitted to the Iowa bar that year. He also has a Master of Public Administration degree from Drake University and a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in history and political science from Simpson College. He is a 1998 graduate of Columbus Community High School in Columbus Junction, Iowa.

Nate Boulton practices in workers compensation, personal injury, and labor law. He is a former vice president of the Iowa Association for Justice (formerly the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association). Nate also previously served as president of the Iowa Workers' Compensation Advisory Committee. He has also regularly served as a grader for the Iowa Bar Examination.

Aside from his law practice, Nate has been an adjunct professor at Simpson College, where he has taught courses related to law and leadership. As a past instructor at William Penn University, Nate received the 2011 Faculty Achievement Award and served as Chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee from 2010-2012. In addition to his undergraduate teaching responsibilities, Nate has also served as an adjunct professor of labor law at Drake Law School.

Since his first election in 2016, Nate also serves as an Iowa State Senator. He represents areas of Des Moines, Ankeny, Pleasant Hill, and Altoona. Nate was re-elected to a second term in the Iowa Senate in 2020 and currently serves as an Assistant Minority Leader and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee.

Education

  • Drake University Law School, Des Moines, Iowa
    • J.D., Certificate in Legislative Practice - 2005
    • Honors: With Honors
  • Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa
    • Master of Public Administration - 05/2005
  • Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa
    • B.A. - 05/2002
    • Honors: cum laude
    • Major: History and Political Science

Bar Admission

  • Iowa, 2005
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of Iowa, 2005
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Iowa, 2009

Published Works

  • The Farmer's Retort to Tort Reform: How Legislation to Limit or Eliminate Punitive Damages Hurts the Agricultural Sector, 9 Drake J. of Agric. L. 415, 2004
  • Establishing Causation in Iowa Workers' Compensation Law: An Analysis of Common Disputes over the Compensability of Certain Injuries, 59 Drake L. Rev. 463, 2011

Representative Cases

  • Homan v. Branstad, 812 N.W.2d 623, 2012, Iowa
  • Dell v. Hy-Vee, Inc. and Quality 1 Enterprises,Inc., 2009 WL 2528095, 2009, Iowa Ct. App.
  • The Dexter Company and EMC Insurance Companies v. Steven Connelly, 2008 WL 2200107, 2008, Iowa Court of Appeals
  • Local 447 of the Intern. Union of Painters and Allied Trades v. Five Seasons Paint and Drywall, Inc., 426 F.Supp.2d 982, 2006, S.D. Iowa
  • Big Tomato Pizza v. Cloud, 2013 WL 750423 , 2013, Iowa Ct. App.
  • Iowa Newspapers, Inc. v. Watson, 2013 WL 4769526, 2013, Iowa Ct. App.

Honors

  • Drake Journal of Agricultural Law Outstanding Note Award, 2005
  • CALI Excellent for the Future Award in Trial Advocacy, 2005
  • American Bar Association/BNA Award for Excellence in Labor and Employment Law, 2004
  • Simpson College Recent Alumni Achievement Award, 2007
  • Simpson College Recent Alumni Loyalty Award, 2011
  • Iowa Association for Justice Key Person Award, 2011
  • William Penn University Faculty Achievement Award, 2011
  • Iowa Association for Justice Outstanding Member Award
  • Asian and Latino Coalition Legislator of the Year
  • Friend of AFSCME Award
  • Iowa Professional Firefighters Legislator of the Year
  • United Faculty (AAUP) Legislator of the Year
  • Business Record Forty Under Forty
  • Drake Law School Recent Alumnus of the Year
  • Columbus Community High School Distinguished Alumnus Award

Classes & Seminars

  • Iowa Workers' Compensation Case Law Update, Iowa Trial Lawyers Association, 02/16/2006 to 02/17/2006
  • Workers' Compensation Discovery: Drafting/Answering Written Discovery and Handling Disputes (Claimant Attorney's Perspective), Iowa State Bar Association, 04/28/2006 to 04/28/2006
  • Workers' Compensation Case Law Update, Iowa Trial Lawyers Association (Eastern Iowa Seminar), 09/07/2006 to 09/07/2006
  • Panel Discussion for New Attorneys, Iowa State Bar Association, 10/04/2006 to 10/04/2006
  • Workers' Compensation 101, Iowa Trial Lawyers Association (Western Iowa Seminar), 09/13/2007 to 09/13/2007
  • Agency Case Law Update, Iowa Association of Workers' Compensation Lawyers Annual Seminar, 10/16/2008 to 10/16/2008
  • Workers' Compensation Update, Iowa Association for Justice Annual Convention, 11/05/2009 to 11/05/2009
  • Workers' Compensation Case Law Update, Iowa Association for Justice Workers' Compensation Seminar, 02/12/2010 to 02/12/2010
  • Penalties in Workers' Compensation: The Practical Implications of the New Penalty Statute, Iowa Workers' Compensation Advisory Committee Annual Symposium, 06/03/2010 to 06/03/2010
  • Workers' Compensation, Iowa State Bar Association, 06/09/2010 to 06/09/2010
  • Agency Case Law Update, Iowa Association of Workers Compensation Lawyers, Inc. Annual Seminar, 10/21/2010 to 10/22/2010
  • Workers' Compensation Case Law Update, Iowa Association for Justice Annual Convention, 11/04/2010 to 11/05/2010
  • Causation Concepts Simplified: "Substantial," "Sequelae," "Aggravation," and "Increased Risk", Iowa Association for Justice Workers' Compensation Seminar, 02/10/2011 to 02/11/2011
  • Calculating Credits in Workers' Compensation, Iowa Association of Workers' Compensation Lawyers Annual Seminar, 10/21/2011 to 10/21/2011
  • Civil Procedure, Iowa Association for Justice Annual Convention - Basic Skills for New Attorneys Program, 11/10/2011 to 11/10/2011
  • Industrial Disability and the Aging Workforce, Iowa Workers' Compensation Advisory Committee Annual Symposium, 05/30/2012 to 05/30/2012
  • Issues involving Labor Unions in Workers' Compensation, Iowa Workers' Compensation Advisory Committee Annual Symposium, 06/14/2014 to 06/14/2014
  • Ethics Panel, Iowa State Bar Association, Federal Practice Seminar, 2015
  • Expedited Case Proceedings Panel, Polk County Bar Association, Bench and Bar Spring Seminar, 2016
  • Workers’ Compensation Law, Polk County Bar Association, Fall General Practice CLE, 2016
  • Ethics: Collegiality Panel, Iowa Workers’ Compensation Advisory Committee, Annual Symposium, 2017
  • Legislative Update, Iowa Association for Justice, Workers’ Compensation Seminar, 2018
  • Legislative Update, Iowa State Bar Association, Labor and Employment Seminar, 2018
  • Marijuana and Workplace Injuries Panel, Iowa Association of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Annual Seminar, 2019

Representative Clients

  • United Steelworkers (USW)
  • American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
  • United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
  • United Auto Workers (UAW)
  • International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (Boilermakers)

Past Positions

  • Simpson College, Adjunct Professor, 01/2010 to 01/2017
  • William Penn University, Adjunct Professor, 2006 to 2013
  • Drake Law School, Adjunct Professor, 08/2012 to 08/2013
  • Hedberg, Owens, Hedberg & Walsh, P.C., Associate Attorney, 09/2005 to 07/2007
  • Iowa Trial Lawyers Association, Lobbying and Research Intern, 2005 to 2005
  • Sen. Bob Dvorksky, Legislative Session, Legislative Intern, 2004 to 2004
  • Hedberg, Owens, Hedberg & Walsh, P.C., Law Clerk, 2003 to 2005
  • Gephardt for President, Statewide College Organizer, County Field Organizer, 2003 to 2004
  • Wapello High School, Substitute Teacher, 2003 to 2003
  • Indianola High School, Student Teacher, 2002 to 2002
  • Iowa Democratic Party, State Senate Campaigns Field Researcher, 1999 to 1999
  • Iowa High School Athletic Association, Licensed Sports Official, 1997 to 2002

Fraternities or Sororities

  • Sigma Alpha Epsilon
  • Delta Theta Phi

Professional Associations

  • Iowa Association for Justice (formerly the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association), Board of Governors Member, 2005 to 2016
  • Iowa Association for Justice Workers' Compensation Section, Core Group Member, 2007 to 2016
  • Iowa State Bar Association, Member, 2005 to Present
  • Iowa Workers' Compensation Advisory Committee, Board Member, 2009 to 2016
  • Iowa State Bar Association: Workers' Compensation Section, Section Council Member, 2007 to 2013
  • AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, Member, 2008 to Present
  • Iowa Association of Workers' Compensation Lawyers, Member, 2009 to Present
  • Polk County Bar Association, Member, 2005 to Present
  • Steelworkers (USW), Associate Member, 2003 to Present
  • Blackstone Inn of Court, Associate, 2007 to Present
  • Workers' Injury Law and Advocacy Group, Member, 2008 to Present
  • American Association for Justice, Member, 2005 to Present
  • Simpson College Alumni Association, Board of Directors Member, 2008 to 2015
  • Simpson College Alumni Association, President, 2013 to 2015
  • John Culver Public Policy Center at Simpson College, Board of Directors, 2010 to 2014
  • Drake University Athletics Bulldog Club, Board of Directors, 2011 to 2017
  • Drake University President’s Circle Board of Directors, 2013 to 2019
  • American Federation of Teachers, Member, 2015 to Present