About Dirk J.
Dirk J. Hamel built a legal foundation at Loras College and the University of Iowa. He earned his B.A. from Loras College in 1982 and his J.D. from the University of Iowa in 1986. The mix of a liberal arts undergraduate education and a Midwestern law school shaped a methodical approach to practice.
After law school he entered private practice and has spent his career in firm settings. He is associated with Gilloon Wright & Hamel P.C., where he has developed a steady practice that spans state and federal courts. Over the years he has appeared in matters before tribunals in both Iowa and Illinois.
Hamel is admitted to the bar in Iowa and Illinois. He also holds admission to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Those admissions allow him to take cases in federal court as well as in state court, and his work routinely requires familiarity with the procedural differences between the two systems.
His professional life includes regular participation in bar activities. He is a current member of the Iowa State Bar Association, the Dubuque County Bar Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association. Involvement in those organizations keeps him connected to developments in court rules and state law, and to other lawyers practicing in overlapping jurisdictions.
Colleagues describe him as steady and practical in approach. He has handled matters that require careful case management and attention to deadlines in both trial and pretrial settings. He balances courtroom work with client counseling and document preparation, moving from litigation strategy to the nuts and bolts of filings and hearings.
He maintains his office at Gilloon Wright & Hamel P.C., where he represents clients in matters filed in Iowa and Illinois and in federal court in the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa. He currently practices at Gilloon Wright & Hamel P.C., representing clients in state and federal matters in Iowa and Illinois.
