About Shayla L.
Shayla L. McCormally graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree that combined political science, religion and history. She earned her J.D. from the University of Iowa in 2007. Those years of study set a foundation in both legal doctrine and the social context that often surrounds family disputes.
Her professional path began in public service. In 2006 she worked as a prosecuting lawyer in the Johnson County Lawyer’s Office. Two years later she joined the United States Department of Justice as a trial lawyer, handling federal matters that required courtroom experience and careful preparation. In 2010 she moved into private practice at Wandro & Associates, PC. By 2016 she had opened McCormally Law Office and later became a principal in McCormally & Cosgrove.
McCormally’s background encompasses both prosecution and federal trial practice, which informs how she approaches family law cases. She has experience in contested hearings, evidence presentation and the procedural demands of litigation. Colleagues describe her methodical approach to casework and her attention to evolving legal issues in family law and assisted reproductive technology matters.
She has been active in professional organizations for much of her career. Since 2008 she has belonged to the Polk County Bar Association and the C. Edwin Moore American Inn of Court. She joined the American Bar Association’s Family Law Section and its Assisted Reproductive Technologies Committee in 2008, a role that connects practitioners confronting novel questions about parentage and reproductive medicine. In 2012 she served in the Greater Des Moines Partnership Leadership Institute and has been the Compliance Director for Polk County Women Lawyers since that year.
Her practice history reflects a mix of government and private sector work. The DOJ tenure gave her courtroom exposure at the federal level. Her time with a local prosecutor’s office sharpened her trial instincts. Private practice has allowed her to apply those skills to divorce, custody, and related family law disputes. She has also handled cases that touch on assisted reproductive technology issues, an area of law that often blends medical facts with family law principles.
Today she practices through McCormally & Cosgrove and has continued to operate under the McCormally Law Office name in earlier years. She maintains an active caseload in family law, including contested matters and cases involving reproductive technology.
