Cara S. Donels

Associate

Email: cdonels@fredlaw.com
Office: 515.242.8924

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PRIMARY SERVICES

Intellectual Property Litigation
Litigation

Overview

Cara is an intellectual property litigator and assists clients with their patent, copyright and trademark disputes.

Prior to practicing law, Cara worked for an aviation engineering firm as an extern in the contracts and legal departments. While working in-house, she gained experience balancing legal solutions with the reality of business needs.

Experience

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

Cara and her colleagues brought suit against a supercharger manufacturer for patent infringement.
Cara is a member of the case team that won dismissal defending the SKIPPY® peanut butter trade dress in Ohio.
Cara and her colleagues won a dismissal of a copyright claim for a recording artist in the Southern District of New York and on appeal in the Second Circuit.
Cara and her colleagues are pursuing a claim for correction of patent inventorship in the District of Delaware in the waste processing industry.
Cara is a trial team member defending and pursuing multiple patents in the Northern District of Iowa.

Articles & Presentations

Waterloo, Iowa’s “Ban the Box” Ordinance: What Waterloo Employers Need to Know

December 6, 2019

By Bridget R. Penick and Cara S. Donels

In October 2019, Waterloo became the first Iowa city to adopt a “Ban the Box” ordinance, following in the footsteps of more than 150 cities across the country adopting similar ordinances.

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The 2020 Overtime Pay Rule: What Employers Need to Know

October 1, 2019

By Cara S. Donels and Bridget R. Penick

The DOL’s new overtime rule is likely to survive the legal challenges that stopped the 2016 rule from going into effect. In the meantime, what should employers do to prepare for the rule’s effective date?

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Honors & Education

EDUCATION

University of Iowa College of Law, J.D., 2019
Wartburg College, B.A., 2016, summa cum laude

BAR ADMISSIONS

Iowa, 2019
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Iowa
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Professional Activities

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Polk County Women Attorneys, Basket Auction, Co-Chair
Member, Polk County Bar Association
Managing Editor, Journal of Corporation Law, 2018-2019
Volunteer, University of Iowa Voting Rights Clinic, 2018-2019
Member, Young Professionals Connection