William Thatcher, who has practiced law in Fort Dodge for more than four decades, has joined forces with one of the town’s newer attorneys, Joseph Tofilon, to launch a law firm that offers a broad range of legal services.

Thatcher & Tofilon PLC, 136 N. Ninth St., officially came into being in January. Thatcher has been in solo practice locally for most of his career. He has also been a magistrate judge continuously since 1979. Tofilon, is a relative newcomer to Fort Dodge, having moved here in 2012 to become part of the team at the Webster County attorney’s office as an assistant county attorney.

Thatcher and Tofilon both stressed that by working together they are building a firm with an increasingly diverse agenda.

“I do mostly estate planning, wills, trusts, real estate work, title opinions, deeds, incorporations, LLCs – those types of things,” Thatcher said. “Joe adds a whole variety of things. For example, I haven’t done criminal defense work for a long time. Joe brings the ability to do research on the computer. He’s a wiz at research. He can do criminal defense work, juvenile court work, some family law, things that I don’t do. It expands the scope of the practice.”

Tofilon strongly agreed with that analysis.

“We’re both excited about the future and growing this law firm,” he said.

Thatcher said he and Tofilon bring different strengths and expertise to the enterprise. He said they “complement each other very well” and consequently make the joint enterprise stronger than would be the case if they were each practicing solo.

Thatcher said the opportunity to interact on a daily basis with a partner is also is a change from being in practice by himself that he is enjoying.

“Joe and I bounce ideas off each other,” Thatcher said. “We’ve had fun so far.”

Both attorneys said the key to a successful partnership is not just having compatible legal backgrounds.

“First of all, your personalities have to fit,” Thatcher said. “I was able to get to know Joe over at the county attorney’s office and the magistrate’s office. It just seemed like it would fit real well. It was a good match.”

His younger partner seconded that point and stressed that he views his relationship with Thatcher as an opportunity to grow as an attorney.

“Bill has 40 years of experience,” Tofilon said. “I am looking forward to learning from him, frankly. He’s a very, very smart guy. The major attraction to working with him was to learn from him. If I can learn to be an exceptional lawyer like he is, that’s great.”

The scope of the practice at Thatcher & Tofilon is extensive. It includes estate planning, real estate law, business and commercial law, criminal law and family law.

Meet the attorneys

William Thatcher – With the exception of university years spent in Ames and Iowa City, Thatcher has spent most of his life in Fort Dodge.

He graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High in 1966. Then it was on to Iowa State University for his undergraduate education. Thatcher said he originally thought a career in the business world might be his future, but mentoring by a faculty member at ISU who was a lawyer opened his eyes to that field. Consequently, after completing his bachelor’s degree at ISU in 1970 he enrolled in the University of Iowa College of Law. Shortly after earning his law degree in 1973 he returned to his hometown.

“Came right back here,” Thatcher said. “My first day, July 1, 1973, is when I started being a magistrate.”

During his time as a law student, Thatcher did an internship at the Webster County attorney’s office. He said he loved that experience and set his sights on a new goal.

“It was just exciting. I decided I wanted to come back here and run for county attorney,” Thatcher said. “I ran against Fred Breen in 1974. We had a tremendous campaign. It was fun. Fred and I are good friends. I won.”

At age 25, Thatcher began service as Webster County attorney on Jan. 1, 1975, and remained in that post for four years.

Since 1979, Thatcher’s career has featured a mix of private practice and service as a magistrate judge. He said the magistrate role is part-time position that he has found immensely fulfilling.

“We’re the first rung on the judicial ladder,” he said. “At the magistrate level, we do all the initial appearances for whoever’s arrested, preliminary hearings, trials of all simple misdemeanors, trials of claims up to $5,000. We handle all civil commitments and search warrants and arrest warrants. Steve Kersten and Bill Habhab and I are the three magistrates here. So, we rotate. … I still get a great sense of fulfillment helping people resolve problems. That’s really what we do, especially in the civil area.”

In addition to his work in the legal system, Thatcher has been an active contributor to the community. He has held leadership positions with Fort Dodge H.O.M.E., the Fort Dodge Salvation Army, the Prairie Gold Council of Boy Scouts, Friendship Haven and Trinity Regional Medical Center. Thatcher is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association, the Webster County Bar Association and the Iowa Association of Magistrate Judges.

Joseph Tofilon -Tofilon grew up in Davenport. He completed both his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Iowa, graduating from UI’s College of Law in 2005.

Following law school, Tofilon was as a law clerk for the judges of the Fifth Judicial District of Iowa, a judge of the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, and for Justice Joseph Gordon of the Illinois Appellate Court in Chicago.

Tofilon said those clerkships were an especially valuable way to begin a legal career.

“You learn from the judges,” he said. “You learn how they think, how they approach different things. It was good for my writing skills, my researching skills. I definitely think those were formative years for my development as a lawyer.”

Subsequently, Tofilon was in private practice in Iowa City for two years. In July 2012, he became an assistant county attorney with the Webster County attorney’s office.

“Public service was the attraction,” he said. “I like to think that I have a very well-rounded legal background having done the clerkships, having prosecuted, done private practice.”

Tofilon stressed that he was drawn to law as a career by the service aspect of the profession.

“I wanted to help people,” he said. “People come to a lawyer because they need help with a problem – a marriage is falling apart, they are charged with a crime, a property issue, a business dispute. To work with people to help them solve their problems in a time of need is something that really motivates me.”

Tofilon said the portrayal of lawyers on television and in the movies may obscure the real reason most attorneys choose the profession.

“I think there’s a perception in society that people go to law school and become lawyers to get rich, drive fancy cars,” he said. “I don’t think that’s the case. I think people go to law school because they want to serve other people and help people. It’s not a bunch of greedy folks just concerned about making money. There’s a lot more to it than that.”

Tofilon said he is enthused about being able to practice law in Webster County.

“I love being in Fort Dodge,” he said. “The bar here is very collegial. When I left the county attorney’s office, everybody offered to help to be a sounding board and to listen and offer advice. Having practiced in Iowa City and Chicago, it’s another world to practice here. It’s a wonderful place to practice. I don’t want to practice anywhere else after practicing here.”

Tofilon is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association and the Webster County Bar Association.