We are our brother’s keeper: Jim Carlin on justice and service
By Andrew Mertens
Jim Carlin, a Sioux City trial lawyer and longtime IAJ member, has never shied from uphill battles. He served in the Iowa Legislature before founding the Iowa Liberty Network, a faith-based conservative group focused on defending constitutional freedoms, including the right to trial by jury. In 2022, he challenged Senator Chuck Grassley in the primary, winning more than a quarter of the vote with limited resources. Now, he’s seeking the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Joni Ernst.
A Western Massachusetts native, Jim was raised in Pittsfield and Dalton, Norman Rockwell towns where his father served as the family doctor. His father delivered babies, answered middle-of-the-night calls, and knew every family in town. That model of service left a lasting imprint. 
After three semesters of college without clear direction, Jim enlisted in the U.S. Army through a combat arms program that paid for most of school. The experience gave him discipline and perspective. When he returned, he excelled at the University of Massachusetts, then applied to Marquette University Law School.
At Marquette, during a mock personal injury trial, Jim saw a hint of his professional calling. “I’ve always had this inner drive for justice. I hate bullies,” he recalled.
Jim gravitated toward personal injury litigation as referrals grew. What drew him was the moral clarity of the work. “In our line of work, it’s a unique opportunity to stand up for the lives and interests of real people with real stories,” he said. “I believe in what I do.”
One case stands out. He represented a woman who nearly died after a surgeon botched a gallbladder procedure and then misled her about what went wrong. She worked in a Siouxland meatpacking plant and spoke little English. In deposition, a defense expert witness dismissed her claims. Jim and his team uncovered that same expert had contradicted his sworn testimony in an out-of-state presentation.
Jim confronted him, “Were you lying here, or were you lying to that group of surgeons in San Diego?”
For Jim, the moment was not about theatrics but about exposing a system that too often stacks the deck against ordinary people. “We fight corporations for a living, and we know how dirty this game can be,” he said. “It’s our job to expose them, to bring the truth to light, and to get justice for our clients.”
Service has always extended beyond the courtroom. For 18 years, Jim volunteered in nursing home ministry in northwest Iowa. Month after month, he offered simple gestures: making eye contact, holding a hand, offering prayer, listening.
“You seldom feel like doing it,” Jim admitted. “But every time you walk away, you’re glad you did. When a 90-year-old asks, ‘Where were you last month?’ after just five minutes of conversation, it tells you how much that little bit of human contact matters.”
Jim also helped create The Giving Exchange, a nonprofit working in Kenya to support orphans and struggling communities. Projects included sending books for a children’s library, remodeling kitchens for sanitation, and even building the physical framework for a small poultry operation.
“We are our brother’s keeper,” Jim said. “If you’ve ever been in one of those situations where somebody extended a hand when you really, really needed it, that leaves an imprint on you. It makes both of you better human beings.”
Jim’s sense of duty led him into politics. He sees a direct connection between trial law and public service. “It’s very analogous,” he explained. “You have to make your case for change with facts and evidence. An election is kind of like putting your case on before the jury of voters.”
Even as a conservative Republican, he’s willing to buck his party when principle demands it. Within his first month in the Iowa Legislature, he opposed the 2017 workers’ compensation bill. “If I see something’s wrong, I’ll fight it,” he said.
He credits IAJ for helping make that case. “IAJ has been wonderful about delivering good information and advocacy. That’s why I believe in IAJ.”
When asked what advice he would give to young trial lawyers, Jim doesn’t hesitate: “Treat your clients like human beings. Don’t ever lose that. Behind those eyes is a soul. Regard that with reverence, respect, and love.”
That philosophy guides him in the courtroom, visiting a nursing home, at an orphanage abroad, or on the campaign trail.
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