On June 25, the Honorable Elisabeth S. Reynoldson of Osceola was presented the Iowa State Bar Association’s (ISBA) highest honor given to an individual - the 2024 Award of Merit.
According to the ISBA, the Award of Merit was created in 1947, and “many aspire, but few attain this coveted award. Those who attain it do so because they have entered the rarefied air of selfless dedication to the legal profession, the bar association, and their communities.” A committee presents nominees at the spring quarterly meeting, where the Board of Governors votes on a winner.
In a press release from ISBA, it was stated,
“Hon. Elisabeth S. Reynoldson is the personification of this standard.”
Reynoldson was recognized at the annual ISBA dinner, which also coincided with the ISBA’s 150th year of existence; the Iowa Bar Association is the oldest voluntary bar association in the country.
Reynoldson said shock was the first thing she felt upon being told in May at the meeting of Judicial District 5B that she had been selected for the award.
“It’s still kind of a, really? It’s really, really cool. [I’ve] been practicing law for 32 years, these are the people that know you the best professionally, and to honor you with this kind of thing…struck by that, and continue to be struck by that. It’s amazing,” said Reynoldson.
Receiving the award at the 150th anniversary of the ISBA made the honor just that more special.
Her husband, Bob, and two of their four sons were able to attend the gala. Reynoldson also invited Judge John Lloyd and his wife Jan to the celebration - Reynoldson had been appointed to Lloyd’s spot on the bench when he retired.
While not able to attend, Reynoldson mentioned fellow Osceola lawyer Larry Van Werden, whom she had worked with at Reynoldson and Van Werden in Osceola. She said she quickly learned that in working there, it was an expectation to be involved in not just the bar association, but in the community as well. This was made evident to her when sitting on her desk on her first day was a filled out application to the Osceola Rotary Club.
“What’s really cool about [the award], it’s not just for service to the bar association, but service to the community of Osceola and Clarke County. That to me is a wonderful combination,” Reynoldson said.
The release from ISBA went on to state of Reynoldson,
“Her faithful commitment to The Iowa State Bar Association and the Iowa State Bar Foundation is nearly unparalleled. She served as President of the ISBA’s YLD from 1999 - 2000. Throughout her years of involvement with the ISBA, the list of committees and section council positions she has held is innumerable. She was the first female board member of Iowa LawPAC, is a former chair of the influential ISBA Ways and Means Committee, and is a long-standing member of the Iowa Jury Instructions Committee. She served as President of the Iowa State Bar Foundation from 2017 - 2018 and is an ISBF Life Leadership Fellow. Her service to the legal community extends far beyond the ISBA. She served on the Board of Directors for both Iowa Legal Aid Volunteer Lawyers Project and Iowa Legal Aid, including as its President from 2014 - 2017. She has served on the Iowa Supreme Court Nominating and Grievance Commissions. She is a long-time member of the Blackstone Inn of Court, having served as its President, and is a District Representative in the Iowa Organization of Women Attorneys.
Her sense of civic responsibility extends far beyond the legal profession.
Organizations throughout her community have benefited from her gracious willingness to give of her time. She served on the Board of Directors and as President of Osceola Chamber Main Street, and on the Board of Directors and as Vice President of the Clarke County Hospital Foundation, as well as being a founding member of the Osceola Public Library Foundation.
Beginning last year, Elisabeth served as a mentor to the “Dream Team”, a five-month program that partners central Iowa youth with adult mentors and culminates in a bike ride across Iowa. Perhaps most importantly, Elisabeth served as a youth group leader in her church for several years. As a part of this service, she undertook several week-long mission trips with the church youth over numerous summers.
Above all else, Elisabeth has been an involved and dedicated mother and wife. Elisabeth’s greatest joy is rooted in her family, husband Bob, and sons Tyson, Michael, Samuel, and John.
Hon. Elisabeth S. Reynoldson has been a lifelong adherent to the view that “To whom much is given, much is expected”. And her tireless, compassionate dedication to making the world a better place is a shining example of just that.
The Iowa State Bar Association and the entire legal profession are fortunate to have Hon. Elisabeth S. Reynoldson as a leader and advocate and on whom The Iowa State Bar Association confers its highest honor – the Award of Merit –”
Reynoldson received her undergraduate degree in 1989 from Iowa State University where she graduated with honors, and her Juris Doctor with distinction in 1992 from the University of Iowa College of Law, after which she was admitted to the Iowa Bar. She practiced for several years at Reynoldson & Van Werden Law Offices in Osceola - 1992-2002 and 2012-19, - Clarke County Magistrate from 2001-02, Clarke County Attorney from 2002-06, and Assistant Attorney General - Criminal Appeals Division - from 2007-12. In 2019, Reynoldson was appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds to serve as a District Court Judge for District 5B, which is a nine-county district in southern Iowa - Adams, Adair, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Ringgold, Taylor, Union and Wayne. In 2018, Reynoldson was awarded the ISBA’s President’s Award, and the ISBA YLD Award of Merit in 2004.