Kimberly K. Hardeman to Lead the 51st Annual Trial Academy

August 2024 • Source: Lederer Weston Craig PLC

The IADC is pleased to announce Kimberly K. Hardeman as the 2025 Trial Academy Director. 

As the “Crown Jewel” of the IADC, the Trial Academy is one of the oldest and most respected programs for developing defense trial advocacy skills. Perfect for those looking to learn and practice the fundamentals and for those seeking to refine their techniques and tactics and take their trial skills to the next level, students will learn by doing. This week-long intensive workshop blends faculty instruction and demonstration with individual student participation in the setting of a mock trial.

The 50th Annual Trial Academy just concluded at the beginning of August. Next year’s program will happen late July/early August – details to come.

Kimberly K. Hardeman is a member of Lederer Weston Craig PLC (LWC). LWC is a boutique trial practice firm with offices in Cedar Rapids and West Des Moines, Iowa. She is a graduate of Drake University Law School and St. Cloud State University where she was a collegiate volleyball player, captain, and 4-year letter winner. She practices law in the areas of automobile liability, personal injury litigation, products liability, commercial litigation, and professional liability. Hardeman also received additional training and education through the Mediation Skills Training program at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies in 2015.   

Hardeman has been and continues to serve as a member and leader in many professional groups. She is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and serves on the executive committee for the Iowa Chapter; is a Fellow in the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers, and Past President of the Iowa Chapter of ABOTA;  is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association, and a member of the Iowa Defense Counsel Association. Hardeman has been a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel since 2010. She was selected to serve as a faculty instructor with the Chuck Cole All Stars at the IADC Trial Academy in 2013 at Stanford University. She was the Director-Elect of the IADC Trial Academy in 2024. She has served as the Vice Chair for Diversity for the In-House and Law Firm Management Committee for several years. 

Kim and her husband Jay reside in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.