City of Ames Legal Department Hires New Attorneys

From a media release:

The City of Ames Legal Department has hired two new Assistant City Attorneys. Mark Lambert and Jessica Spoden will fill the vacancies left when Judy Parks was promoted from Assistant City Attorney to City Attorney, and when Assistant City Attorney Kristine Stone left to take the City Attorney position in Bettendorf, Iowa. 

Lambert earned his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Excelsior College, Albany, N.Y., and earned his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law. Lambert’s past employment was with the State of Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals as an Administrative Law Judge from 2005-2012. 

Spoden earned her bachelor’s degree in community and regional planning from Iowa State University, and graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law. She was the recipient of the Grier Women in Real Estate scholarship for two years, received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education, and served as Senior Administrative Editor of the Journal of Gender, Race, and Justice. After completing law school, Spoden worked for the City of West Des Moines Legal Department. 

The Assistant City Attorney position includes reviewing real estate and contract documents, providing legal counsel and staffing to Boards and Commissions, researching legal issues, and representing the City in administrative proceedings conducted before Administrative Bodies and subsequent court proceedings. Both Lambert and Spoden begin at the City of Ames Legal Department in May.