Chief Justice Christensen appoints Judge Jeffrey D. Bert and Judge David Nelmark to serve exclusively on the Iowa Business Specialty Court

Chief Justice Christensen signed an order appointing Judge Jeffrey D. Bert, Bettendorf, and Judge David Nelmark, Des Moines, to serve exclusively on the Iowa Business Specialty Court beginning September 1, 2026. The Iowa Judicial Branch first introduced the business court in 2013 with judges who divided their time serving as business specialty court judges in addition to handling other types of cases on their regular court docket. 

Judge Bert and Judge Nelmark have served on the Iowa Business Specialty Court since April 2021 and have heard a total of 135 cases in their combined roles as settlement conference judge and primary judge. The two full-time business court judge positions for a stand-alone business court were created when Governor Reynolds signed Senate File 639 on June 1.  Iowa is now one of four states to create a stand-alone business court, joining Georgia, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. 

Judge Bert had 28 years of experience in civil and business litigation and workers’ compensation cases as a private practice attorney before he was appointed a district judge in 2019. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree with distinction from Iowa State University in 1989 and his law degree with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1992. 

While in private practice, Judge Nelmark handled many different types of litigation matters including antitrust, breach of contract, business dissolution, copyright law, insurance defense, medical malpractice, patent law, and trade secret theft. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Drake University in 1999 and his law degree from Stanford Law School in 2005.

“It is exciting to have two such well-qualified judges in place as we prepare for the next phase in the evolution of Iowa’s Business Specialty Court,” Chief Justice Christensen said. “Judge Bert and Judge Nelmark have done excellent work handling complex civil cases and have the legal experience necessary to successfully lead the transition to a stand-alone business court.”

The primary aim of the Iowa Business Specialty Court is to move business and complex commercial litigation cases involving claims for compensatory damages totaling more than $200,000 or seeking primarily injunctive or declaratory relief through the court system more expeditiously, lowering costs for litigants and the court system. Businesses and attorneys benefit from having judges assigned to their cases who have experience and expertise in business litigation.  

The Iowa Judicial Branch has assigned 317 cases to the business specialty court since its inception on May 1, 2013. 

Businesses and attorneys benefit from the business court's published body of case law, which promotes consistency and predictability. Judges benefit from the development of substantial expertise in the management of complex business litigation. The court system as a whole benefits from the business court's role as an incubator of innovative court practices.

The appointments will create two vacancies on the district court, one in the Fifth Judicial District and one in the Seventh Judicial District. Information on the selection process will be posted on the Iowa Judicial Nominating Commissions website at https://www.iowajnc.gov.