Vorwald is new assistant Clayton County attorney

By Willis Patenaude | Times-Register

On May 27, Courtney Vorwald was approved by the Board of Supervisors as the new Clayton County Assistant Attorney, allowing her to serve the place she was born and graduated from as a student at Central Community School. 

It’s also where she lives with husband Justin and their children, and after the last 13 years as the assistant attorney in Delaware County, she wanted to find a job closer to home. When previous assistant attorney Anne Kruse resigned in mid-May, Vorwald  reached out to Clayton County Attorney Zach Herrmann to express interest in the job. A few weeks later, she was working in Clayton County, near Justin’s office on Bridge Street. 

The current destination wasn’t the initial plan when Vorwald set out for college at the University of Northern Iowa, where she studied to be a history and social studies teacher. After spending time in the classroom and a conversation with one of her professors, the idea was broached that perhaps she should pursue law school instead. 

After giving it some thought, and mulling over the fact it would require “more schooling and more expense,” Vorwald decided it was worth it. As a student, she learned about different types of law, such as property law, civil procedure, trusts and estates, constitutional law and criminal law, which she found interesting. 

“It is the kind of law that changes and evolves over time and will continue to challenge me. It seems that there is always something new to learn about it,” she explained. 

Pursuing criminal law, which encompasses crimes such as serious misdemeanors, domestic assault cases and some drug charges, led Vorwald to a prosecuting internship with the Johnson County Attorney’s Office. While an intern, she handled simple misdemeanor cases, participated in jury and non-jury trials and argued motions in court with a supervising attorney. 

It was through this internship Vorwald realized she wanted to work in a county attorney’s office. It’s also where she learned important lessons that stuck with her. 

“One thing I learned was the importance of trial preparation for witnesses, even for law enforcement officers who may already have testified a number of times. Also, I learned the value of documenting conversations, particularly with unrepresented defendants,” she said. 

Upon graduating from the University of Iowa College of Law, Vorwald worked as a law clerk for judges in Dubuque, then at a private law firm in Dyersville, while also serving as a part-time assistant county attorney in Delaware County starting in 2011. She went full-time in 2013, and something about the role seemed like a “good fit.” 

At this point, it might be pertinent to overview what an assistant county attorney actually does. According to Vorwald, her main duties include handling some criminal and all juvenile cases. The role also provides advice to law enforcement during investigations when they request assistance and helps make decisions on whether charges are supported by evidence. 

When handling juvenile cases, Vorwald will work with Juvenile Court Services and the Department of Health and Human Services. As part of the Clayton County Attorney’s Office, she may be asked to provide advice to other county employees and handle certain criminal cases as assigned. 

While duties are universal across counties, what is different for Vorwald is the fact Clayton County is significantly rural. Communication and access between the county attorney’s office and law enforcement is greater. 

Vorwald told a story from her time in Delaware County when a new police officer arrived from a larger county having never met with or spoken to anyone from the county attorney’s office, but in rural Iowa, he met her on his first or second day. 

This direct line of communication and access is an overall benefit, especially when it comes to situations when law enforcement is asking for advice, including to review the evidence collected during an investigation, to ask what additional information is needed before making a decision on charges, if a search warrant is necessary or what services are available to respond to a victim.

“I think it is beneficial to our entire process to have a close working relationship with law enforcement. It improves the quality of cases and prosecution, as well as the quality of the response for crime victims,” Vorwald said.

Though this is a positive regarding the rural setting, Vorwald noted some challenges that come with the position for rural towns, specifically access to mental health treatment, substance abuse treatments, therapy, counseling and transportation. 

Another unlikely challenge that has recently arisen is the growing decline in lawyers willing to serve as court-appointed counsel in criminal and/or juvenile cases. Though both challenges are not limited to rural counties, they are “more noticeable,” said Vorwald, because rural counties are already starting with smaller numbers of both services and lawyers. 

Vorwald walked through a potential process if services are difficult to find, such as making referrals to agencies like Waypoint (services provided to domestic violence victims) or Riverview Center, or contacting other resources available to the county. This includes the law enforcement liaison from Foundation 2, to determine what can be done to assist with transportation or find out what alternative services and/or funding might be available.

As for the decline in access to lawyers, Vorwald noted the Iowa Judicial Branch is looking into and studying why the decrease is happening. 

“I think there is an overall decrease in lawyers in rural areas. That will, by itself, result in a decrease in lawyers available and willing to serve as court-appointed counsel. There has also been talk of increasing the hourly rate of pay for court appointments in order to encourage more lawyers to serve in that capacity,” she said. 

Vorwald has a history of improving situations, as she did as part of the Delaware County Sexual Assault Response Team for approximately seven years. Along with other individuals, she to collaborated to improve investigations as well as knowledge of and access to services for victims. 

The group also partnered with the Clayton County SART to offer free training conferences for law enforcement, prosecutors and advocates from other counties. 

“I am very proud of what our SART has worked on and accomplished over those years,” Vorwald said. 

Something else Vorwald has found rewarding about her career choice is working with victims through numerous cases. This includes, but is not limited to financial crimes, assaults (including domestic and sexual assaults), property damage and violations of no contact order. Through these cases, she has learned a lot, specifically in communicating with victims as they experience the judicial system—many for the first time. 

Vorwald was nominated by the Delaware County victim-witness coordinator, county attorney, sheriff and some law enforcement officers to receive an award on June 9 for her work with victims in Delaware County from the Victim Witness Coordinators Section of the Iowa County Attorneys Association (ICAA).

She said the experiences with victims taught her how scary, confusing and frustrating the process can be.

“Those experiences have pushed [me] to be better about communicating and explaining the process, and trying to figure out what we, as an entire office, can do to help them feel prepared,” Vorwald said.