Scott Wadding

Managing Partner

Scott is the Managing Partner of Sease & Wadding whose trial and appellate practice focuses on helping people and businesses win inside and outside the courtroom. Scott’s cases include business disputes, constitutional litigation, intellectual property, professional liability, and personal injury.

Scott is results driven and has significant experience wrestling with complex and novel trial and appellate issues. He has an inside perspective of the appellate process, which has proven critical to developing successful legal strategies in state and federal trial and appellate courts.

Scott has successfully represented people and companies in cases of all sizes and degrees of complexity, including successfully trying several jury and bench trials to verdict, obtaining an outright dismissal for a homeless man against a predatory lender, developing successful legal strategies to exclude key expert witness testimony in a nine-figure intellectual property case, crafting and implementing winning trial strategies for damages in high-stakes and bet-the-company intellectual property and business tort cases.

Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

Email

[email protected]

Focus Areas

Admissions

Iowa
Missouri (inactive)
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Iowa
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Illinois
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
Eight Circuit Court of Appeals

Professional Associations

Iowa Supreme Court Appellate Rules Committee (2020 – Present)
Iowa State Bar Association Litigation Legislative Committee (2020 – Present)
Board Member – American Constitution Society (Iowa Chapter) (2019 – Present)
Board Member, American Red Cross—Eastern Iowa Area (2013 –2014)
Chair, Cedar Rapids NAACP Legal Redress Committee (2013 –2014)
Volunteer Attorney, Iowa Legal Aid (2012 –2014)
Iowa Bar Association
American Bar Association

Clerk Experience

Law Clerk, Hon. Brent Appel, Justice, Iowa Supreme Court (2010-2012)

Thought Leadership

Co-Author, "Legislating Civil Liability of Automated Vehicles," The Iowa Lawyer (March 2021)
Presentation, "The Evolution of State Constitutional Law in Iowa," Blackstone Inns of Court (February 2019)
A Primer on Reasonable Royalty Damages, The Iowa Lawyer (May 2018)
Protecting Trade Secrets? Beefy ‘Defend Trade Secrets Act’ to the Rescue, IpQ: Enhancing Your IP IQ (June 2016)
Proportionality in Perspective: Old Whine in New Bottles?, IpQ: Enhancing Your IP IQ (Jan. 25, 2016)
Cultivating a Common Bond: The Right to Adequate Education in South Africa and the United States, Oxford Human Rights Hub Blog (September 11, 2013)
Tonn-Ochoa Analysis Recognizes Iowa Supreme Court’s Duty to Tailor the Iowa Constitution to the Unique Traditions and Values of Iowans, The Iowa Lawyer (June 2013)
What the Iowa Supreme Court Amendments to the Rules of Appellate Procedure Mean, The Iowa Lawyer (April 2013)
Co-Author, Mechanics’ Liens Go Viral: Lessons from Iowa to Utah, Division 7 of the ABA Forum on Construction (January 2013).
Co-Author, Criminal Law Newsletter, Drake University Law School (2010).
Co-Editor, 4 Iowa Practice Series, Criminal Law (West 2010).

Education

J.D, Drake University, 2010 (Order of the Coif, Highest Honors, AAJ Mock Trial Team, Certificate in Litigation and Dispute Resolution)
B.A., University of Northern Iowa (Purple and Old Gold Award)

Clients/Kudos

“Scott knows the law and is a great negotiator and legal professional. Most important to us is that Scott is a very caring and honest person who made us feel like we had a good friend watching over our best interests with his comprehensive and affordable legal advice. We have already recommended him to our family and friends.” —Jim and Ruth
"We worked with Mr. Wadding on a case involving a real estate transaction [lawsuit] after being referred to him through another attorney. Throughout the case, Scott was engaged, diligent, and extremely respectful of both our time and expenses. We felt as though our case was his number one priority every time we spoke with him. His knowledge of the law and application of that to the novel issues of our case were handled with extreme expertise. He represented us with confidence and classiness in front of both the judge and other lawyers yet was aggressive when he needed to be and held everyone involved accountable to the law. He was very personable and empathetic to our needs and emotions throughout the process all the while providing expert legal advice. We would recommend Scott Wadding without reservations and he will be our first call should we ever find ourselves in need of representation again!" —Abbie & Kevin
"Thank you so much for helping us. Because of your attentiveness to our predicament, you alleviated a lot of stress for us. Des Moines is blessed to have you! We also appreciate your time on the phone, and in person." —Chris and Steve

Notable Cases

Herbst v. Sioux County et al. (successful resolution in a wrongful death action arising from alleged unconstitutional and negligent conduct of county officials)

Schiebout v. Sioux County et al. (successful resolution in a wrongful death action arising from alleged unconstitutional and negligent conduct of county officials)

John Doe v. Jasper County (successful resolution for injuries arising from unconstitutional jail conditions)

John Doe v. Archdiocese of Dubuque (successful resolution for injuries arising from alleged child sex abuse committed by a priest in the 1970s)

Sprint v. Cox (D. Del.) (representation of telecommunications company in crafting and implementing damages case in nine-figure patent infringement litigation involving groundbreaking telecommunications technology)

Sprint v. Comcast (D. Kan. 2018) (representation of telecommunications company in crafting and implementing damages case in nine-figure patent infringement litigation involving groundbreaking telecommunications technology)

Bagbey v. DePhillips et al. (representation of home purchaser in fraud and misrepresentation litigation)

Smith et al. v. Godwin Realty et al. (representation of homeowners who lost proceeds from the sale of their home as a result of wire fraud during a real estate closing)

Sprint v. Time Warner Cable (D. Kan.) (representation of telecommunications company in crafting and implementing damages case in nine-figure patent infringement litigation involving groundbreaking telecommunications technology)

M.L. v. Immanuel Lutheran Church (representation of victim of child abuse and fraud committed by child care center)

Vergara v. California (Cal.) (preparation of amicus brief in appellate litigation before the California Supreme Court on behalf of constitutional law scholars in landmark education litigation)

StrikeForce Technologies Inc. v. Microsoft Corporation (D. Del.) (representation of technology company in patent infringement litigation involving two-factor authentication technology)

Oracle USA v. Rimini Street, Inc. (D. Nev.) (representation of third-party maintenance provider in implementing winning damages case at trial in software copyright and business tort dispute)

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