Paxton is a former non-profit executive who brings a keen attention to detail to all client matters.
As an Assistant Iowa Attorney General for eight years, Paxton prosecuted and defended a wide array of lawsuits of various complexity, with particular focus on individual income, sales/use, property, and corporate tax matters on behalf of the Iowa Department of Revenue. Additionally, he engaged in diligent enforcement matters related to the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement and prosecuted cigarette and tobacco compliance check failures on behalf of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division.
Paxton completed the National Attorneys General Training & Research Institute (NAGTRI) Trial Advocacy Course and the NAGTRI Writing Seminar. He has experience providing counsel to administrative agencies and agency directors on draft legislation, rules formulation, and policy implementation. As an attorney and from his time in non-profit management and various volunteer leadership roles, Paxton has experience reviewing and negotiating contracts and addressing myriad contractual matters.
Personal
Paxton’s work as an attorney is further informed by his study of public policy at the University of Michigan and health care management and policy at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, where he studied under the auspices of a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. While in law school, he was a member of the University of Chicago Legal Forum. A strong proponent of the arts and humanities, Paxton, who currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Federation of State Humanities Councils, was associate producer on the Iowa PBS documentary George Washington Carver: An Uncommon Life. Paxton is a proud graduate of Iowa State University. Paxton is licensed to practice in the state courts of Iowa and Illinois and the United States District Courts for the Northern District and Southern District of Iowa.
Community & Professional Activities
Federation of State Humanities Councils, Board Member, 2019-Present; Presidential Search Committee, 2019-2020; Board Chair, 2021-Present
National Bar Association, Board of Governors, 2021-2022
Iowa National Bar Association, Member, 2016-Present; Vice President, 2018-2020; President, 2020-Present
Des Moines Metro Opera, Inc., Board Member, 2020-Present; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee Co-Chair, 2020-Present
Missouri Historical Records Advisory Board (State Senate Confirmed Gubernatorial Appointee), 2010-2012
American Cancer Society Team DetermiNation, 2011 Chicago Marathon
Representative Work
Myria Holdings Inc. v. Iowa Dep't of Revenue, 892 N.W.2d 343 (Iowa 2017)
Romantix Holdings, Inc. v. Iowa Dep't of Revenue, No. 16-0416, 2017 WL 1735638 (Iowa Ct. App. May 3, 2017)
Pohl v. Iowa Dep’t of Revenue, Nos. 18IDR0050-51, 2019 WL 6114716 (Iowa Dept.Rev. Sept. 13, 2019)
CRCR Corp. v. Iowa Dep't of Revenue, Nos. 19IDR0098-100, 2020 WL 8920379 (Iowa Dept.Rev. Nov. 6, 2020)
Herman v. Iowa Dep’t of Revenue, No. 20IDR0055, 2021 WL 3669200 (Iowa Dept.Rev. March 12, 2021)