STEVEN A. BERGER ATTORNEY AT LAW 326 W. Third Street, Suite 900 Davenport, lowa 52801 Telephone: 563-326-1000 November 30, 2010 Mr. Howard Thomas District Court Administrator's Office 400 W. 4th St. Davenport, 1A 52801 Dear Mr. Thomas, | would like to introduce myself to you as a candidate for the judicial vacancy that will occur upon the retirement of the Honorable J. Hobart Darbyshire. | have been a lifelong resident of Scott County residing in Davenport, Pleasant Valley and Bettendorf. | graduated from Pleasant Valley High School in 1978 and the University of lowa in 1982 with a B.S. degree in psychology. Following in my father’s and grandfather's footsteps, | attended the University Of lowa College Of Law and graduated with distinction in 1985, Following completion of my undergraduate studies, | did volunteer work during the summer of 1982, tutoring students housed at the Scott County Detention Center and at the Linwood House in the Annie Wittenmeyer Complex. While attending law school, | worked as an intern with Berger & Lane during the summers of 1983 and 1984 After graduating from law school and passing the lowa and Illinois bar exams, ! became an associate with Berger & Lane, which eventually evolved into the present firm of Wehr, Berger, Lane & Stevens. limmediately began taking court appointments in both juvenile and criminal court cases. 1 handled child in need of assistance and juvenile delinquency cases representing parents and children. | have successfully defended two clients charged with murder and as well as clients charged with arson, theft, drunk driving and other crimes, The vast majority of court appointed clients was assisted by negotiating just and fair plea agreements with the Scott County Attorney's Office and guiding them through the Associate and District Court procedures. | 2m, therefore, very familiar with the practices and procedures of our criminal courts from initial appearances through jury trials. Over the years, my practice has enlarged into handling more civil cases. | represent clients who have been injured in accidents or by acts of malpractice, as well as those hurt on the job needing assistance with workman's compensation. | also handle dissolution of marriage, child custody/visitationand child support matters and am frequently attending court for hearings, trials and settlement conferences. Since my graduation from law school, | have attended numerous seminars to keep up to date on legal developments. Since 1989, | have attended over 700 hours of continuing legal education. | was also a barrister in the Dillon Inn of Court from 1992 to 1996. Each pupilage group was responsible for making one of the monthly presentations to the Inn pupilage and the meetings provided an opportunity for informal discussion and learning opportunities between judges and lawyers of varying levels of experience. { have been married to my wife Nancy since October of 1990 and we presently reside in Bettendorf. We have adopted Elizabeth, now age 15, from China; Benjamin, now age 14, from Rock Island; Michael, now age 13, from Guatemala, and Jennifer, now age 11, also from Guatemala. All four presently attend Pleasant Valley Schools. My family and this community have provided many opportunities for me throughout my life. | have a strong desire to utilize my legal ability to try to give something back. The private practice of law has provided some opportunities to do that through court appointments and pro bono referrals from HELP Legal Aid. My desire to do more has led me to seek a judicial appointment where I could devote my abilities, patience, open mindedness and sense of fairness fulltime to serving a vital public function. By being a member of the Seventh Judicial District Nominating Commission, you have shown a willingness to serve our community; and | thank you for the time and attention you are devoting to my application and those of the other applicants. If you would like any further information or an individual interview, please feel free to contact me. incre A id, ificp to Lt | GE AEG Bergefy 2) 3) 4) 5) 8) 7) ANSWERS TO APPLICANT QUESTIONNAIRE Full Name: Steven August Berger Office address: 326 W. 3° Street, Suite 900, Davenport, lowa 52801 Residence address: 6751 Ridges Court, Bettendorf, lowa 52722 Schools attended (college and law) and degrees: | graduated from the University of lowa in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology. | graduated from University of lowa College of Law with distinction in 1985. Bar Admissions and dates: lowa Bar - June 14, 1985, Illinois Bar - November 7, 1985. United States District Court for Southern District of lowa - December 16, 1985. Present professional partners, associates or employer: | practice in the law firm Wehr, Berger, Lane & Stevens with my partners Edward N. Wehr, John R. Newman and Maria K. Pauly. Gary M. Lane is of counsel to the firm and Richard L. Stevens is deceased and A. Fred Berger is retired. Margaret Moeller is an associate with the firm, Prior professional partners, associates or employers and dates: | started working as an associate for the firm Berger & Lane after my graduation in June of 1985. The firm at that time was composed of A. Fred Berger,Gary M. Lane, Michael Bennett, H.J. Dane, and Gerda C. Lane. Subsequently, Michael Bennett left the firm to start his own practice and Gerda Lane went to work for the Scott County Attorneys Office. In 1987, Edward N. Wehr, John R. Newman, and Richard Stevens joined with Berger & Lane to form the present fim. Robert K. Leyshon was an associate of the firm from July of 1995 until February of 1997. Charles K. Peart was associated with the firm from 1987 to 1995. Maria K. Pauly became an associate with the firm in September 1998 and is now a pariner. H. J. Dane left the partnership in 2003 and is a sole practitioner. Helen McAninch was an associate with us from September 2003 until she moved to Council Bluffs, lowa in May of 2006, Margaret Moeller joined the firm as an associate starting July 1, 2006.8) 9) 10) 11) 42) Public Offices held and dates: | have not held any public office. Activities in professional organizations, including offices held: lam a former member of the Litigation Section Rules Committee of the lowa State Bar Association. That committee met three to four times per year to discuss the lowa Rules of Civil Procedure and make recommended changes to the Litigation Section Council. | aiso participated in the Dillon Inn of Court in the late 1990's. 1am presently on the Scott County Bar Association Executive Council and Ihave also served on the CLE Committee, Civil Law Committee, Fee Dispute Committee, Social Committee and Criminal Law Committee. In 2009-10 | was a member of the task force that attempted to establish a Mental Health Court for Scott County. Activities in civic organizations, including offices held: Ihave been a member of the Board Of Trustees of the Unitarian Church in Davenport, lowa. | participated as a member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board. | was on the Davenport Chamber of Commerce Consumer Protection Committee. | was a member of the United Way Campaign Cabinet in 1988. | am a member of the Lend A Hand Corporation Board and presently serve as the Board Secretary. | was on the Board of Directors for the Outing Club in Davenport and served as its president in 1997. | served as President of The Ridges Homeowners Association, Inc, in 1999 and will be president again in 2011. | am also a former member of the board for Junior Theatre, Inc. Are you able to perform the essential functions of this position with or without a reasonable accommodation? To my knowledge | would require no accommodation to perform the essential functions of this position Have you ever been disciplined for breach of ethics or unprofessional conduct or are you presently the subject of a complaint to any court, administrative agency, bar association, disciplinary committee, or other professional group? If so, when? How was it resolved? On November 12, 1993 | was admonished by the lowa State Bar Association Committee on Professional Ethics and Conduct due to my failure to file an appropriate compliance report for Yellow Page advertising used by the firm, | had attended the appropriate hours of continuing legal