Lane & Waterman are proud to announce their newest partners – Alexander Barnett and Eric Hartmann.

Alex joined Lane & Waterman in July 2017 and practices primarily in the area of litigation with focus areas of commercial litigation, construction law, professional malpractice, and products liability.  Since 2021, Alex has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the field of commercial litigation.  Since 2023, Alex has been recognized further by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the fields of professional malpractice and litigation – labor & employment.  These awards are peer-reviewed recognitions given to attorneys who are earlier in their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice.

Alex is currently a member of the Dillon Inn of Court, Scott County Bar Association, Iowa Bar Association, and American Bar Association. He is a former Coach for Our Lady of Lourdes’ junior high mock trial team.  He is also the former representative for Iowa’s Seventh Judicial District in the Iowa State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division.  He currently serves on the Scott County Iowa Judicial Magistrate Appointing Commission.

Alex received his B.A., with distinction, in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Iowa and his J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law. Prior to joining Lane & Waterman, Alex served as a law clerk for Iowa’s Seventh Judicial District, where he worked extensively with the Honorable John Telleen on Iowa’s Specialty Business Court. The experience of working with judges as they decide cases provided unique insight on how to deconstruct complex business situations so they can be properly addressed by the legal system, and continues to inform Alex’s approach to the practice of law. He resides in Bettendorf, IA.

Eric joined Lane & Waterman as an attorney in 2017. Eric maintains a general civil practice, primarily focused on general business matters and real estate. Eric assists both individuals and businesses alike. He assists business entities (including corporations and limited liability companies) with formation and governance, contract drafting and negotiation, mergers and acquisitions, and compliance issues. If a dispute cannot be resolved outside of court, Eric also represents his clients in civil litigation, typically in real estate and creditor’s rights matters.

Eric was previously a Judicial Intern with the Iowa District Court, Seventh Judicial District and the Iowa Supreme Court, Justice Thomas D. Waterman. He has also served as a Judicial Extern for Chief Judge Thad J. Collins in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Eric graduated from Davenport Central High School in 2010. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, with distinction, from Drake University in 2014, and graduated with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2017.

Eric also serves on the Board of Directors of the FRIENDS of the Davenport Public Library and plays trumpet in the Big River Brass Band.