Central Iowa lawyer sanctioned for the eighth time, this time with a license suspension

The Iowa Supreme Court has suspended the license of a central Iowa attorney who has faced multiple sanctions in the past.

The Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board alleges that attorney Theodore F. Sporer, who was first licensed to practice law in Iowa in 1985, neglected clients’ cases and practiced law even while his law license was suspended.

Sporer, whose law office was located in Des Moines, recently consented to a 90-day suspension of his license, but asked that he be allowed to retire instead. The board recommended a suspension of at least 60 days, and last week the Iowa Supreme Court settled on a 90-day suspension.

The decision has little practical effect in that Sporer’s license was already suspended due to a suspension order that was issued in May 2024 and which remains in effect.

The most recent disciplinary case involves allegations that Sporer’s ability to handle cases has been in decline and that he failed to notify clients, opposing counsel and the court of a past license suspension and a growing inability to handle cases.

“Sporer’s misconduct in these matters caused confusion and delay in multiple cases,” the board alleges. Before his 2024 suspension, Sporer was “aware of physical and mental conditions that were materially impacting his ability to practice, yet he continued to take new cases and failed to withdraw from others,” the board alleges.

In one case, the board said, Sporer failed to notify his client of his license suspension, which resulted in his client being unaware of an upcoming hearing. That left the client “scrambling to find” a new lawyer, the board alleged.

In another case, Sporer allegedly failed to promptly notify the court of his suspension, and the court learned of it only a week before trial, requiring a new trial date to be set.

In a separate matter, while Sporer’s license was still active, he allegedly failed to respond to a motion for summary judgment or appear for the hearing on the motion. The board alleged that failure resulted in a judgment of more than $10,000 against his client.

The board agreed with Sporer that his physical and mental health issues had an impact on his practice and should be considered a mitigating factor.

The board, however, also cited several aggravating factors, including the fact that Sporer was privately admonished in 2010 and 2018 for similar issues, and was sanctioned with three public reprimands — one in 2011 and two in 2016 — for some of the same issues.

In addition to the two admonishments and three reprimands, Sporer’s license was suspended for six months in 2017, and was suspended again in 2024, the board noted.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Sporer for comment, but in his recent consent to a 90-day license suspension, Sporer expressed regret for his actions.

“My name will be remembered in infamy in the profession, and any good I did long forgotten,” Sporer stated in his written consent. “This is a brutal thing to admit to oneself. I have been punished. Further punishment is not necessary to deter me or anyone acting like me. My career has been over for two years. I am not resisting any kind of sanction. I am asking that the court permit me to simply and fully retire.”

Sporer told the court he has “not always been the broken and failed thing I have become,” and said that through nearly 40 years of practice he had helped a great number of people who could not have otherwise afforded an attorney, particularly battered women.

“I achieved justice for hundreds of plaintiffs who were mistreated by those in a position of power, whether public authorities or powerful corporate interests,” Sporer told the court.

Sporer formerly served as the Polk County Republican chairman from 2001-2009 and a member of the Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee from 2002-2008.

The 90-day suspension of Sporer’s license took effect July 2, 2026.