Zachary J. Hermsen

Zach is an experienced litigator

In an era of dwindling trials, Zach has a record of trying and winning cases. A client may decide settlement is their best option, but when the other party is unreasonable and the only way to right a wrong is with a trial, Zach will try the case and put his trust in the world’s greatest system of civil justice - the American jury trial – where he’s found that juries far more often than not “get it right.”

Zach is a member of the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers, an academy limited to 250 attorneys who have displayed exceptional skills and the highest integrity, and who have dedicated their professional lives primarily to trial practice. Membership is by invitation only, upon sponsorship and recommendation from peers and judges and unanimous approval by the Board of Governors.

Zach is a communicator

Litigation can be a daunting process for clients. Zach clearly explains the process and the client’s options every step of the way.

Zach values creativity

No two cases are identical. He’s tried cases in Washington D.C., the Iowa Business Specialty Court, eastern Iowa, central Iowa, and western Iowa, and each and every one of those cases required its own unique strategy and approach. Don’t hire a firm that treats you like a part on an assembly line; hire a firm and a lawyer that’s committed to effectively solving your unique legal issue.

A team with proven success

This is not a one-man team. Zach is backed by some of the best assistants and law partners in the state. 

National Transportation Professional Representation

Zach proudly represents transportation professionals throughout the United States that facilitate delivery of food, medicine, building materials, and other critical supplies to locations across the country. He is an active member of the ALFA International Transportation Group, offering a nationwide rapid-response team with the expertise to immediately and effectively respond to incidents should they arise. Zach is also a member of the Trucking Industry Defense Association and Transportation Lawyers Association.

Recent Results

• 2024 - Jury trial, Iowa - Defended transportation client. Settled on the second day of trial, with plaintiff lowering settlement demand 84% from opening demand, and 71% from pretrial demand.

• 2023 – Jury trial, Iowa, defense – claims dismissed in full against clients during trial.

• 2023 – Jury trial, Iowa – Defended transportation client in undisputed liability case. $1.2 million jury request from Plaintiff; $77k judgment.
• 2023 – Jury trial, Iowa – Defense verdict for transportation client.
• 2022 – Jury trial, Iowa – Defense verdict for homeowners sued by construction company; maximum statutory damages recovered on clients’ counterclaim for consumer fraud.
• 2022 – Summary judgment – Secured full dismissal for national convenience store.
• 2022 – Secured full voluntary dismissal with prejudice by other party in claims against client, with no money paid.
• 2021 – Bench trial, Iowa Business Specialty Court – Defense verdict for client in business dispute; full win on client’s counterclaims.
• 2021 – High six-figure settlement for injured client.
• 2020 – Federal Circuit Court of Appeals – Win on first-of-its-kind argument presented to the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C.
• 2020 – Six-figure policy-limits settlement for injured client.
• 2019 – Iowa Court of Appeals – Win affirming full dismissal for client.
• 2018 – Iowa Court of Appeals – Win for transportation client affirming trial court ruling.
• 2018 – Jury trial, Iowa – Defense verdict for transportation client.
• 2018 – Summary judgment – Full dismissal secured for national company sued for injunction.
• 2017 – Jury trial, Iowa – Win for homeowner in damage claim against construction contractor.
• 2016 – Jury trial, Iowa – Five-figure judgment defending seven-figure pretrial demand against transportation client.

for more information 

Contact Zach today or call 515-288-6041. 

Presentations and Publications

• Co-author, "Transportation Law Update," Iowa chapter, ALFA International Transportation Law Compendium, 2024 Edition
• Presenter (with Matt Jacobson), National Tank Truck Carriers Regional Safety Summit, July 2023
• Presenter, "2023 Iowa Tort Reform Legislation," ALFA International Transportation Practice Group Seminar, 2023
• Co-author, "Transportation Law Update," Iowa chapter, ALFA International Transportation Law Compendium, 2023 Edition
• Co-author, "Transportation Law Update," Iowa chapter, ALFA International Transportation Law Compendium, 2022 Edition
• Co-author, "Transportation Law Update," Iowa chapter, ALFA International Transportation Law Compendium, 2021 Edition
• Presenter, "Trending Topics in Transportation," ALFA International Webinar, 2018
• Presenter (with Tom Reavely), "Litigating Vaccine Injury Claims in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program," Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers, 2016

Affiliations

• ALFA International Transportation Go Team
• Trucking Industry Defense Association
• Transportation Lawyers Association
• Iowa State Bar Association
• Fellow, Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers
• Polk County Bar Association
• Blackstone Inn of Court
• Iowa Defense Counsel Association
• Greater Des Moines Partnership Calibrate Leadership Series, 2016

Honors & Recognitions

• Inducted as Fellow in the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers, 2024
• Selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Insurance Law, Litigation - Construction, Transportation Law, Litigation - Insurance (Ones to Watch: 2022—2025)
• Selected for inclusion in the Great Plains Super Lawyers in the area of Personal Injury General (Rising Stars: 2023—2024)
• Polk County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project: recognized for 50 or more pro bono work hours in 2016—2017

Representative Engagements

• In 2020, Zach was victorious in a case of first impression at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in which the Federal Circuit agreed with him and held that the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program’s three-year statute of limitations may be subject to equitable tolling when a petitioner’s mental incapacity causes or contributes to a petitioner’s delay in retaining an attorney to pursue a Vaccine Act claim.