Who is David Ferree?

David Ferree (retired) is a regional expert on transportation law, airport law, Federal Aviation Administration grant assurances and regulations, eminent domain, real estate law, and construction law.

With an impressive 35-year career and a resume that includes more than 20 years with the Transportation Division of the Iowa Attorney General’s office and 10 years with the Des Moines City Attorney’s office representing the Des Moines Airport, Dave is adept at tackling complex transportation projects involving multiple stakeholders.

Dave’s work includes working with both private parties and government entities in highway, construction and acquisition projects. One of his most notable accomplishments was drafting the documents that created the Des Moines Airport Authority – a complicated process involving both the City of Des Moines and the Federal Aviation Administration, and elements of both state and federal law. Based on the quality and complexity of this work, Dave’s process has been since replicated in other municipalities.

Transportation systems are changing, and Dave is a dynamic legal thinker ready to help our systems adapt. Dave is also focused on the future of transportation, emphasizing the value of alternative forms. With today’s infrastructure and technology, “we can develop a transportation system to move people, not cars.”

Dave started his career working on highways, railroads, and trails (through the Rails to Trails program), then worked with airports. He is interested in also working with buses, bicycles and pedestrians – creating legal solutions for modern innovative transportation projects that cater to modern needs.

Dave also wrote the book on Iowa eminent domain law—literally. As a state attorney for the Transportation Division of the Iowa Attorney General’s office, he wrote a handbook for attorneys working on eminent domain issues. He continued working with eminent domain issues at the Des Moines Airport.

Today, he is ready to put that knowledge and experience to work for governments and private clients. Whether the taking is of land containing a farm, house, or business, or of development land, Dave can help you to ensure that the taking is proper and that the property owner receives just compensation.

Real estate transactions can have many moving parts. Dave has experience with everything from commercial leasing to title opinions to purchasing to sales. He has worked on matters involving both state and federal laws. When transactions become complicated, Dave brings the experience to keep things moving as they should.

Construction projects require coordination of many parties, from contractors to subcontractors to owners, taking into account factors ranging from weather to soil to costs to time. The last two are the most important for clients, as Dave used to tell his students in construction law classes: “Most construction disputes are about time and money; everything else is just details.”

Some of the most complex construction projects involve creating the roadways we all rely on daily and runways for airports, and Dave has handled these transactions throughout his careers—as well as helped to resolve the disputes that have come out of them.

Dave retired in 2022.

Areas of Practice

• Airport law
• Alternative transportation
• Complex contracts
• Construction law
• Construction engineering law
• Eminent domain
• Environmental law
• Highway construction
• Leases
• Municipal law
• Real Estate
• Transportation
• Federal Aviation Administration Grant Assurances and Regulations