Nathan
Kooker

Overview

As a litigator focused on commercial disputes and employment law, Nathan Kooker believes successful advocacy starts with scrutinous analysis. “There’s always a way to challenge an argument—either in its logic or its premises,” he says.

 

The same critical reasoning tools he started honing as a college philosophy student have become the essence of his litigation practice. “It’s exciting to face a case where it seems like your client has been dealt a poor hand, knowing it’s your job to find the stray detail that turns the game to your client’s advantage.”

 

For Nathan, advocacy also means taking a tailored approach to each case. No standard formula will do. “I always start by assuming every dispute is different from the cases a court has seen before,” he says. “It’s my job to explain why.” To achieve that goal, Nathan applies a tireless work ethic when reviewing evidence, drafting briefs, and researching the law. “I want to ensure that I look at every document and check every authority to find what makes a case winnable.”

 

While working as a law clerk or intern in three federal district courts, Nathan developed key insights into how judges make decisions. One lesson he learned was the importance of narrative in a winning case. “Every lawsuit has real stakes, and every client has a human story,” he says. “When there’s nothing left to argue, telling those stories is what changes the outcome.”

 

But Nathan also knows success for his clients takes more than victory in the courtroom. He strives to be a collaborator in his clients’ endeavors. “I hope my clients can see me as their teammate as much as they can see me as their lawyer,” he says. “That sense of trust and cooperation is crucial. Lawyers only have the tools that their clients provide them with.” Cultivating rich client relationships brings pleasure to Nathan’s work.

Speeches & Publications

“An Epistemological Argument Against Federal Rule of Evidence 403’s Cumulative Evidence Clause”

103 Iowa Law Review 1753 (2018)