About
Employment, discrimination, and civil rights lawyer Leonard Bates was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. Leonard received his bachelor’s degree in Law, Politics, & Society from Drake University in 2005. He then attended Drake University Law School, where he was a member of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Team, the Black Law Student Association, and a Drake Law First Year Oral Argument Finalist. He graduated with Honors in 2008.
Following his graduation from law school, Leonard worked as a business analyst before becoming an attorney for Newkirk Zwagerman. As a Minnesota-based lawyer licensed to practice in both Iowa and Minnesota, Leonard is a member of both the Iowa State Bar Association and the Minnesota State Bar Association. He is also a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), Iowa Employment Lawyers Association, Minnesota Employment Lawyers Association, and the Iowa Association for Justice.
Leonard has extensive experience in the area of employment law, and has pursued litigation against numerous employers who fostered hostile work environments or wrongfully terminated employees. As a discrimination lawyer, Leonard has also taken on many cases challenging criminal background screenings that unfairly target African Americans and Hispanics for non-job-related reasons. Although he is a widely respected civil rights attorney in Minnesota and Iowa, he has experience handling discrimination cases with national significance.
Practice Areas
- Employment Law
- Racial Discrimination
- Civil Rights
Education
- Drake University Law School, Des Moines, Iowa, J.D. with Honors
- Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, B.A. in Law, Politics, & Society
Bar Admissions
- State of Iowa (2011)
- State of Minnesota (2023)