Benjamin J. Kenkel

Benjamin J. Kenkel is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law.

Ben, who practices law in Des Moines, Iowa, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Benjamin J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ben joined Dickinson Bradshaw in 2019 as a Summer Law Clerk before passing the Iowa State Bar Exam and joining the firm as an attorney in Spring 2020. Shortly after being admitted to the Iowa Bar, Ben took a one-year leave of absence to serve as a Term Law Clerk for the Honorable Magistrate Judge Celeste Bremer of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Ben returned to the firm after his one-year term clerkship ended in Spring 2021. Since that time, he has individually handled or assisted with numerous matters for multiple insurance companies evaluating pre-suit claims, assessing coverage and handling litigated matters in state and federal trial and appellate courts. In his practice, Ben has argued before the Iowa Court of Appeals and appeared on numerous appellate briefs before the Iowa Court of Appeals, the Iowa Supreme Court, and the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The majority of Ben’s insurance coverage work has focused on uninsured/underinsured motorist claims, and commercial and residential property claims. Ben’s pre-suit evaluation and litigated matters have involved primarily previously described coverage matters as well as personal injury, construction, product liability claims, as well as complex procedural matters. Ben’s pre-law school background has also proved helpful in evaluating and handling business related claims including minority/majority oppression claims and commercial disputes.

During his career, Ben has assisted in resolving several litigated matters for clients, including cases involving large-loss claims for commercial and residential property, negligent supervision against school districts, premises liability and construction defect claims, among others. Most recently, Ben assisted in drafting an appellate brief submitted to the Iowa Supreme Court defending a district court’s summary judgment order in favor of a large Iowa independent community school district in a high-profile case alleging that the defendant school district violated statutory procedures in rejecting plaintiffs’ petition for a public referendum on a resolution concerning funding for an athletic stadium. The Iowa Supreme Court ultimately affirmed the District Court’s entry of judgment.

Ben also recently assisted clients in several commercial litigation matters, including obtaining and defending before the Iowa Court of Appeals a judgment awarding attorneys’ fees to minority members of an Iowa S-corporation.