Ann Holden Kendell
Ann Holden Kendell is a member at BrownWinick and serves as Co-Chair of BrownWinick's Employment Law practice group. Ann practices primarily in the area of employment law and commercial litigation.
Ann counsels employers in human resources policies and procedures; unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation; whistleblower issues; FMLA; Iowa state and federal wage and hour issues; restrictive covenants (non-competes, non-solicitation agreements and confidentiality agreements); and drug testing policies and procedures, as well as handles employment litigation. She conducts management training concerning drug testing and personnel issues and has served as an investigator for clients regarding misconduct, discrimination and harassment allegations. Ann represents her clients in front of administrative agencies, such as Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, and in arbitration, as well as state and federal courts. She has had successful jury trials obtaining defense verdicts on sexual harassment, gender discrimination, pregnancy discrimination and retaliation claims. Ann has also litigated and enforced restrictive covenants on behalf of employers and litigated other commercial disputes. Ann frequently speaks and writes articles on various employment law topics and is a trained and experienced mediator hired by other attorneys to assist in resolving cases.
Since 2010, Ann has been listed in Chambers USA(R) as a leading attorney in the area of Labor and Employment in the State of Iowa. In Best Lawyers of America(R), Ann has been listed in the areas of Litigation - Labor and Employment (2013); Employment Law - Management and Labor Law - Management (2012); Labor and Employment Law (2011) and Labor and Employment Law (2010) for the State of Iowa.
Ann is a member of the Polk County, Iowa State (Member, Labor and Employment and Litigation Sections) and American (Member, Labor and Employment and Litigation Sections) Bar Associations. She is a member of the Polk County Women Attorneys, where she served as its President in 2006 after serving on its Board in various capacities since 2000.
Ann received her B.S. degree in history from Iowa State University in 1995 and her J.D. from Drake University Law School in 1998. She was admitted to the Iowa bar, United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa and United States Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1998. After graduation, Ann clerked for Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Harris until she entered private practice in August of 1999.
BrownWinick
In 1951, a tax-law specialty firm opened its doors in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Its modest size hid lofty ambitions: to help its clients build on a strong foundation, and to put businesses from Iowa, the Midwest and around the country on a powerful footing for growth and competitive success.
Today, half a century later, those ambitions continue to act as our compass. BrownWinick has grown to become one of the region's preeminent business-focused law firms, boasting a broad range of legal services and an impressive client list that includes both large, well-known corporations and energetic start-ups.
As BrownWinick has grown, the firm's areas of practice have also grown to better serve the varied and ever-changing needs of our clients in a rapidly evolving regulatory and business environment. From our roots in tax law, the firm has expanded into areas including litigation/trial law, agribusiness, banking, construction law, government relations, securities law, pensions and profit sharing, administrative law, environmental law, health law, business and corporate law, employment and labor law, workers' compensation law, bankruptcy law, public utility regulation - energy and telecommunications, international business transactions, real estate law, wills, estate and probate law, patent, trademarks and copyright law.
The firm's client base has grown and expanded, as well. BrownWinick serves as counsel to service, manufacturing, and commercial corporations, health care providers, doctors, governmental agencies and quasi-governmental agencies, banks, bank holding companies and other financial institutions, corporations and partnerships, trade associations, construction, renewable fuels, agribusiness, pharmaceutical and nutriceutical, retail, insurance, real estate and estates and trusts. Our attorneys represent entities and individuals in numerous facets of the law, including corporate, commercial, transactional, labor, securities and litigation matters.
BrownWinick's firm commitment to business makes us more than a source of sound, skilled legal counsel. It makes us a powerful strategic partner, one with the vision, perspective and commitment to position your business for the challenges you face today - and on the road ahead.
