Chad A. Swanson

Chad A. Swanson is Co-Managing Partner at JSC Legal in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He maintains a broad litigation and trial practice, generally representing plaintiffs. His work includes personal injury, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, insurance litigation, workers’ compensation, and business litigation. He also handles premises liability, disability litigation, sexual abuse claims, and constitutional torts, representing clients facing serious harm and contested legal rights.

Chad earned B.A. degrees with distinction in English and music performance from the University of Iowa in 1992. He received his J.D. with Distinction from the same university in 1994. He began practicing in the Cedar Valley in February 1995. His education and subsequent courtroom experience support the close analysis and clear presentation required when complicated facts and legal questions must be explained in litigation.

Chad became a certified mediator in 2019 and has mediated civil and family law disputes. Mediation adds another way to address contested matters alongside his trial practice. He is licensed in Iowa and Arizona, with admissions in several federal districts and the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. His work therefore includes both courtroom advocacy and helping parties consider negotiated resolution through a structured dispute resolution process.

Chad A. Swanson was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2023. He served as president of the Iowa Association for Justice in 2020 after years of board and committee service. His professional involvement reflects a sustained commitment to trial practice and the legal community. He brings that background to representing injured people and other clients while also providing mediation services when a dispute calls for another approach.

Law Office Affiliations

• Managing Partner, JSC Legal
• Member, Iowa State Bar Association
• Member, State Bar of Arizona
• 47th President, Iowa Association for Justice (2020)
• President, American Board of Trial Advocates – Iowa Chapter (2024)
• Member, American College of Trial Lawyers (2023)
• Member, Black Hawk County Bar Association
• Member, Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers
• Member, Arizona Association for Justice
• Past Board Member, Waterloo Visiting Nursing Association
• Past Board Member, Malcolm Price Laboratory School Parent Advisory Committee
• Past Board Member, College Hill Neighborhood Association
• Past Board Member, Cedar Falls Tiger Booster Club
• Past Board Member, Friends of the UNI Museums
• Past Board Member, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa
• Past Member, Cedar Falls Jaycees

Licensed State

• Iowa
• Arizona

Education

• University of Iowa
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• University of Iowa
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges