Jennifer L. Meyer, J.D.
Jennifer Meyer attended the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) and graduated Cum Laude and received her B.A. with a major in Finance and minors in Business Communication and Coaching in 1999. She also was a full scholarship basketball player for UNI. During her undergraduate studies, she interned with the Black Hawk County Attorney’s office working with their Witness and Victim’s Assistance Division.
After graduating from UNI, she then earned her Juris Doctorate from Drake University Law School and was admitted to the Iowa Bar in 2002. While attending law school, Jennifer clerked for the Peterson Law Firm, which practiced in the area of workers compensation and personal injury. She additionally completed internships at the Polk County Attorney’s Office and Jasper County Attorney’s office while attending Drake. During the summer of 2000, she was selected as one of 25 first-year law students nationwide to receive a Judge Advocate General (JAG) internship from the United States Army. She was placed at Fort Stewart Georgia and was later offered a commission upon graduation from law school.
Jennifer began private practice with the firm of Grimes, Buck, Schoell, Beach and Hitchens in Marshalltown, Iowa and practiced in the areas of family law, criminal law, juvenile law, estate planning, civil litigation and taxation. After three years, she joined with Kelly Bennett and Joanie Grife to form the firm Bennett, Steffens, & Grife, PC. Mr. Bennett left the firm to become a prosecutor and the firm was renamed Steffens & Grife, PC. In 2010, Jennifer began her own firm of Steffens Law Office, PC which was later renamed Jennifer Meyer Law, PC after she married Mark Meyer in 2011. In 2014, Jennifer opened her office in Ankeny, Iowa located at 121 NE 18th Street, Suite 3.
- Voted “Best Law Firm for 2015” by CityView’s Best of Des Moines
- Voted “Runner Up” in 2017 By City View’s Best Local Law Firm
- Iowa State Bar Association, member and previously served on their Young Lawyers Division on the Executive Board. Jennifer is also a member of the Iowa State Bar Association’s Family Law Section.
- Polk County Bar Association, Member
- Central Iowa Academy of Collaborative Professionals (CIACP), Member
- Central Iowa Parenting Coordinators, Member
- Served on the committee for the Marshalltown Imagine 2011 project
- Served as a board member for Youth and Shelter Services of Marshalltown.
- International Academy of Collaborative Professions (IACP), Member
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), Member
- Certified Family Law Mediator
- Certified in Collaborative Law
- Parenting Coordinator, training completed through AFCC
- Member of Central Iowa Academy of Collaborative Professionals
I use my compassion and hard work to develop action plans for my clients and I to work together as a team to resolve their legal issues. I have extensive professional legal experience in many areas of the law, however, I practice in family law, as that is where I find my true passion to help people through their challenges.
I find my balance by spending time with my husband Mark, my son, and my two-step daughters going on RV trips with our dogs and going to sporting events. I am often found trying to drop my handicap in golf (or trying to find the fairway) or on my bike trying to ride a little faster, especially when we are lucky enough to have one of those beautiful Iowa summer days we all wait for.
I have had many personal life successes and challenges that have given me skills to help clients get through some of the most difficult and challenging times in their lives. I want my clients to know what is going on in their case and be informed of the next steps, including what responsibilities they have as clients. I want my clients to know that I will always do my best to return their calls and messages as soon as possible. Having legal issues can be extremely stressful and I know that staying informed, even during waiting periods, can make all of the difference in having peace of mind during uncertainty. I want my clients to know that nobody expects their lives are perfect, or that they have not made mistakes or would have maybe done things differently. Over the years, I have heard many clients express disappointment in themselves or their situations. We just made the best decisions we did at the time. Now we move forward, with a plan.