Jonathan Causey

Managing Partner

Phone:  515-381-0168 (Iowa); 612-990-8592 (Minnesota)

Licensed in Minnesota and Iowa

National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys Top 10 under 40 (2017)

Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney in Des Moines, IA and Selected to Rising Stars: 2021 by Super Lawyers 

Areas of Focus

Criminal Defense (Drug Crimes, Sex Crimes, Assault, OWI, Weapons Charges, White Collar Crimes and Government Investigation, Trafficking, Robbery & Burglary), Commercial Litigation, Civil Litigation, Fraud and Assets Recovery, Arbitration and other Dispute Resolution, Personal Injuries (including Car Accident & Wrongful Death), Student Misconduct and School Related Appeals, Immigration Court Representation, other Federal or State Litigations.

Summary

Jonathan Causey is a senior litigation attorney at Causey & Ye Law. Jon practices business and commercial litigation, personal injury, and other types of civil litigation in state court. Jon also practices criminal defense, such as OWI, state drug charges, sex offenses and violent crimes. He is the Board Vice-Chair of Network Against Human Trafficking. He further represents individuals in front of the Federal Immigration Courts and Federal District Court. 

Jon has a unique background for a litigation attorney.  He originally hails from Memphis, Tennessee.  In 2004, he received his BBA in banking and finance with a minor in economics from Mississippi State University.  After undergrad, Jon immediately opened an insurance agency where he managed a staff and assisted over 1000 clients with their insurance needs and financial planning.  He held insurance licenses in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.  In addition, he earned his Series 6 and 63 securities licenses. In May of 2014, he received his Juris Doctorate with Honors from Mississippi College School of Law.

Since practice, Jon has won millions of dollars in civil judgments. In 2016, on behalf of Causey & Ye Law, Jon received the International Community Leadership Award from the Iowa Secretary of State. In 2017, Jon was recognized as the "National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys Top 10 under 40" for his excellence in the field of Criminal Law! During that same year, on behalf of Causey & Ye Law, Jon received the inaugural US-China Business Leadership Award from the Iowa-China Council. The U.S. Ambassador to China and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds presented the award.
 

The following are just a few highlights of Jon’s diligent advocacy for his clients

• Jon successfully defended five clients who were charged by the State of Iowa in connection to a Mid Iowa Narcotics Enforcement (MINE) Drug Task Force investigation
• Jon represented a client who was facing a 5 Count indictment and 10 years in prison. Jon substantially decreased it to one simple misdemeanor in which his client paid the minimum fine with no jail time.
• Jon defended a client accused of child abuse resulting in injury, which carried a 10-year prison sentence. The client claimed he had done nothing wrong, and Jon stood by his side. There would be no plea deal. In the end, the State was forced to dismiss this felony charge against Jon’s client.
• Jon represented a man injured in a car wreck and forced the insurance company to pay full policy limits for both property damage and bodily injury prior to trial. Before Jon took the case, the insurance company had only offered to pay for the client’s totaled car.
• Jon won his client a substantial payout in an assault case. Jon found within hundreds of pages of medical records where the Defendant had admitted he acted out of aggression. This defeated the Defendant’s claim of self-defense.
• Jon and the other managing partner, Yangyidi Ye secured full policy limits as the settlement for 4 international clients in a serious and complicated car accident case that occurred in Yellowstone National Park by collecting evidence with various parties and working through multiple negotiations with the insurance company.
• Jon was the lead trial attorney for a civil case in Johnson County involving EB-5 immigrant investment visas, fraudulent misrepresentation, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting.  The jury awarded Jon’s client $140,000.00 in compensatory damages and $400,000.00 in punitive damages. 
• Jon won a summary judgment of $460,000.00 against a Mid-west steel company for a company client from China. 
• In criminal court, Jon represents people charged with everything from simple misdemeanors and traffic offenses to felonies.  He is an expert in uncovering errors in the criminal justice system.  He has a reputation for having past judgments vacated and dismissed.  In several cases, he had firearm, domestic violence, or OWI related convictions vacated and dismissed.  Jon additionally always has his clients’ criminal charges reduced, or he is willing and able to fight it out at trial. 
• Jon also represents immigrants and other non-US citizens in State Courts and Federal Courts (including Federal Immigration Court).  He zealously fights for these individuals’ rights.  He will not simply lie down and get his clients to stipulate to deportation or to plead to a reduced charge that will lead to deportation. 
• Jon also represents students that are accused of wrongdoing at Iowa’s Universities.  He often has their suspensions or expulsions overturned or reduced.  He has also negotiated refunds of tuition when students are wrongfully expelled from school. 
• Jon additionally represents many individuals in divorces and custody battles.  This is not your typical hands-off representation that many firms promote.  Jon diligently advocates for his family law clients.  He never pressures clients into agreements that they do not want.  If he has to, he will take a divorce or custody case to trial.  He also specializes in divorces involving immigrants and non-US citizens.  This is important because divorce for a non-US citizen may have repercussions far beyond the failed marriage. 

 Membership

• Iowa State Bar Association 
• Polk County Bar Association 
• Minnesota State Bar Association
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers