Ahlers & Cooney P.C

What Ahlers & Cooney P.C does

Ahlers & Cooney, P.C. is a Des Moines, Iowa-based law firm founded in 1888 that provides comprehensive legal services to municipalities, educational institutions (K-12 and higher education), and private businesses across Iowa and the broader Midwest. The firm is organized around two primary practice areas — Public Law and Private Law — supported by 15 specialized practice groups covering Public Finance, Litigation, Employment & Labor Law, Construction Law, Education Law (K-12 and Higher Education), Municipal Utility, Board Governance, Collective Bargaining/Labor Law, Economic Development/Urban Renewal, Corporate/Transactional, Employee Benefits, Real Estate & Environmental, Procurement/Contracting, and Workers' Compensation. Its go-to-market is a traditional relationship-based sales motion built on attorney-client relationships, peer referrals from legal, accounting, educational, municipal, and insurance professionals, CLE instruction, and thought leadership via client alerts and speaking engagements.

The firm's business model is straightforward professional services revenue: billable legal services delivered directly to clients through attorneys, with no disclosed technology platforms, proprietary software, or AI/ML capabilities — operations run on standard law firm practice management and document management infrastructure. Client segments are split across K-12 education (250+ school districts statewide, including the 10 largest in Iowa), higher education (private colleges, community colleges, and Board of Regents institutions), municipalities and public bodies (cities, counties, municipal utilities), and a secondary private business segment spanning Fortune 100 companies to local proprietors. Pricing is quote-based and individually negotiated; specific fee schedules are not publicly disclosed. The firm is privately held as a professional corporation, owned by its shareholder attorneys, with no parent company, no institutional investors, and no private equity backing disclosed.

Credibility is anchored by long-tenured recognition: AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, inclusion in Chambers USA (2024 and 2025), Tier 1 recognition in Best Lawyers in America across 13 practice areas (2025 and 2026), and The Bond Buyer's #1 ranking in Iowa for Bond Counsel: Competitive Issues in 16 of the last 17 years, with $1,717.0 Million in total issuance for 2023. The firm supports internal talent through the ACE (Ahlers Cooney Excellence) Program for professional development, wellness, and community involvement, and operates from a single Des Moines headquarters at 100 Court Avenue, Suite 600.

Name

Ahlers & Cooney P.C

Legal name

Ahlers & Cooney, P.C.

Website

https://ahlerslaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1888

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ahlers & Cooney, P.C. is a Des Moines, Iowa-based law firm founded in 1888 providing comprehensive legal services across public finance, education law, municipal law, and private business representation to Iowa-based clients including 250+ school districts, municipalities, and higher education institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Commercial Law (BPAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD), Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE), Association Compliance, Governance & Board Support Services (BPAJAHAN)

Keywords

• Legal services
• Public finance law
• Education law
• Municipal law
• Commercial litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: The firm generates revenue through billable legal services provided to clients including municipalities, educational institutions, and private entities. Services span multiple practice areas including public finance, litigation, employment law, construction law, and more. Fee structures likely include hourly billing, though specific arrangements are not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ahlers & Cooney, P.C. is a Des Moines, Iowa-based law firm that provides comprehensive legal services to municipalities, educational institutions, and private businesses. The firm is organized into two primary practice areas — Public Law and Private Law — comprising 15 specialized practice groups including Public Finance, Litigation, Employment & Labor Law, Construction Law, Education Law, Higher Education, Municipal Utility, Board Governance, Collective Bargaining, Economic Development/Urban Renewal, Corporate/Transactional, Employee Benefits, Real Estate & Environmental, Procurement/Contracting, and Workers' Compensation.

Product overview

Ahlers & Cooney, P.C. is a full-service Iowa law firm organized around two primary practice areas: Public Law (serving municipalities, educational institutions, and government entities) and Private Law (serving businesses and individuals). The firm operates through 15 specialized practice groups including Board Governance, Collective Bargaining/Labor Law, Construction Law, Corporate/Transactional, Economic Development/Urban Renewal, Employee Benefits, Employment & Labor Law, Higher Education, K-12 General Counsel, Litigation, Municipal Utility, Procurement/Contracting, Public Finance, Real Estate & Environmental, and Workers' Compensation. The firm also supports its employees through the ACE (Ahlers Cooney Excellence) Program for professional development and wellness. This is not a technology product company; all offerings are legal service practices delivered by attorneys.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Law Practice Area

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250 school districts represented statewide
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Nyemaster Goode, P.C. Des Moines-headquartered full-service Iowa law firm with comparable public sector, corporate, and litigation practices. Direct competitor for Iowa K-12, higher education, municipal, and private business clients in the same Des Moines legal market.
• Davis Brown Law Firm: Des Moines-based Iowa law firm providing corporate, litigation, employment, government, and education law services. Direct competitor across most of Ahlers & Cooney's practice areas with a similar regional full-service model.
• Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, P.C. Cedar Rapids-based Iowa law firm with comparable practice breadth including education law, municipal law, employment, litigation, and corporate services. Direct competitor for Iowa-based institutional and business clients.
• BrownWinick: Des Moines-based Iowa law firm offering business, government, education, and litigation services. Directly competes for the same Iowa public sector, education, and private business clients with a similar mid-sized full-service model.

Regional players

• Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. Large Minneapolis-based Midwest law firm with strong education, government, public finance, and corporate practices. Comparable in practice area mix but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple Midwest states, including Iowa.
• Husch Blackwell LLP: Kansas City-headquartered super-regional Midwest firm with substantial education, public finance, government, and litigation practices. Competes for the same Iowa and Midwest public sector clients from a larger platform.
• Baird Holm LLP: Omaha-based Midwest law firm with public sector, education, corporate, and litigation practices. Comparable full-service regional competitor serving Iowa/Nebraska institutional and business clients.
• McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C. Omaha-based Midwest law firm with comparable public sector, education, corporate, and litigation practices serving Iowa/Nebraska institutional clients. Regional competitor with similar mid-sized full-service model.

Broad incumbents

• Dorsey & Whitney LLP: Minneapolis-headquartered international law firm with extensive Midwest public finance, education, and government practices. Larger incumbent that competes for Iowa public sector work as part of its broader platform.
• Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP: Large national law firm with significant Midwest presence and strong education, government, and public finance practices. Competes for Iowa public sector engagements from a national platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AhlersCooney
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ahlers-cooney-pc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ahlers & Cooney P.C