Sydney J. Gangestad

Sydney J. Gangestad is Special Counsel in the firm's Government and Public Services practice, based in the Des Moines office. She is an attorney and lobbyist with significant public policy experience, representing client interests before the Iowa legislature and executive branch. She assists clients in developing legislative agendas, advocates during legislative sessions, and represents clients before regulatory committees and state agency hearings.

Ms. Gangestad previously served as Special Counsel and Legislative Liaison for the Iowa Judicial Branch, where she represented the judiciary before the legislative and executive branches, assisted in policy development, and spearheaded grassroots advocacy strategies. She drafted and filed judicial branch legislation including comprehensive juvenile records reform and a complete update of the Juries chapter, and successfully advocated for full funding of the Iowa Judicial Branch and Juvenile Court Services.

Sydney holds a J.D. from Drake University Law School (2013) and a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (2010). She has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in Government Relations and is a graduate of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry Leadership Iowa Program (2026). She is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association and Polk County Bar Association.