HON. SEAN W. MCPARTLAND (Retired)
Resolve your dispute before it reaches a courtroom.
Mediation, arbitration, neutral evaluation and consultation
Business, personal injury, employment, and family law disputes
In person or remote
Torts Including Personal Injury
Matters involving tort claims including claims related to personal injuries, medical expenses and punitive damages
- Medical malpractice
- Auto accidents
- Other tort claims
Family Law
Dissolution and custody matters can be resolved with a pace and a privacy a courtroom cannot offer.
- Custody, primary care and parenting time
- Property, debt and asset division
- Spousal support and child support
Business & Commercial
Avoiding lItigation between businesses that can cost both sides more than the amount in controversy.
- Breach of contract and warranty
- Partnership, shareholder derivative, and dissolution
- Construction defect, delay, and lien claims
Employment
Matters where the working relationship, the reputations, or both still need to survive the outcome.
- Discrimination and retaliation
- Wage and hour
- Separation and restrictive covenants
Estate Disputes
Resolving disputes that can involve familial emotions, disappointment and resentment
- Will contests
- Property and asset distribution
- Claims of fraud in wills or estate distribution
Agricultural & Farm
Matters where the land, the lease, or the family operation all may have to keep operating after resolution
- Farm leases and tenancy
- Land, drainage, and boundary
- Corporate farm disputes, succession
About
Judicial insight informs dispute resolution.
After graduating from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1984, Judge McPartland practiced in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1984 to 1989, and in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from 1989 to 2008. The majority of his practice focused on civil litigation. In 2008, Judge McPartland was appointed to the bench and served as a District Court Judge in the Sixth Judicial District of Iowa until 2024, followed by service as a Senior Judge until August 31, 2026.
During his time on the bench, Judge McPartland served on the Iowa Civil Justice Task Force Steering Committee from 2009 through 2012 and contributed to the Task Force's 2012 report. Beginning in 2012, he also served on the Advisory Committee Concerning Certain Civil Justice Reform Task Force Recommendations. The Advisory Committee's work contributed to the adoption of the 2015 amendments to the Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure, related to areas including required initial disclosures, discovery, and expedited civil actions. During his time on the bench, Judge McPartland also served as a faculty member in numerous orientation programs for new judges presented by the Iowa Judicial Branch, and on numerous other continuing legal education panels.
In 2017, Judge McPartland was appointed to serve on the Iowa Business Specialty Court, where he served as a trial judge and settlement judge, including presiding over jury and bench trials. After resigning as a trial judge on the Business Court in 2021, he continued to serve as a settlement conference judge for the Iowa Business Court through August 31, 2026.
Judge McPartland presided over numerous jury and bench trials involving a wide range of civil matters, including cases involving medical malpractice, personal injury, real estate, estates, employment law, business torts, contracts and other business disputes, shareholder derivative claims, and insurance coverage disputes. He also presided over and decided numerous family law matters, including matters involving dissolution of marriage, child custody , spousal support and family financial disputes. As a Senior Judge, Judge McPartland continued to conduct settlement conferences through the Business Court and also in other civil and family law matters. As a Senior Judge, he also resolved hundreds of family law cases, frequently assisting both represented and unrepresented parties in reaching mutually agreeable resolutions to their disputes.