Background

Blake is an associate attorney working in Bradshaw's litigation division. Blake joined Bradshaw Law Firm in September of 2019.

Prior to joining the Bradshaw Law Firm, Blake was engaged in private practice in Des Moines, Iowa, where he was part of the legal team that brought civil litigation following the largest lottery rigging in U.S. history resulting in a nationwide multi-million dollar class action settlement and a landmark lawsuit brought by a former Hot Lotto winner. The events that unfolded were the subject of a program titled The Notorious Lottery Heist and a book The $80 Billion Gamble.

In 2016, Blake was inducted into the Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Rising Star Award.

Education

Iowa State University (B.A., Political Science, summa cum laude with university honors, 2012)

• Cardinal Key Honor Society (Iowa State’s highest honorary)
• Community Leadership and Public Service Certificate
• Keynote Speaker, First Annual Iowa State University Fall Leadership Conference

Drake University Law School (J.D., with honors, 2015)

• National Order of the Barristers
• AAJ Mock Trial Team
• Moot Court Board (Junior & Senior Member)
• Public Service Certificate

Leadership Positions

Transportation Safety Committee - City of Des Moines

• Chair, February 2020-Present
• Vice-Chair, April 2017–February 2020 (Appointed by Mayor Frank Cownie)

Drake University Head Start Program

• Legal Representative, September 2013-Present

Iowa State University Honors Program

• Alumni Advisory Board Member, November 2016-Present

Ready to Run Iowa

• Advisory Board Member, July 2016–Present

Everybody Wins! Iowa

• Board Member, September 2014-February 2019

Des Moines Young Professionals Connection

• Board Member, December 2014-September 2015

Professional Memberships and Admissions

American Bar Association

• Young Lawyers Division

Iowa State Bar Association

• Litigation Section Council

Iowa Defense Counsel Association

C. Edwin Moore Inn of Court

Polk County Bar Association

Publications

• Actionable, But Ascertainable? How the Heightened Ascertainability Standard is Hurting Consumers (The Sidebar, New Lawyers Division (NLD), Winter 2017)

Speeches and Seminars

Ballot Bonanza: Iowa Election Law Disputes Shaping Nomination to Inauguration, Lincoln Inne of Court, November 2020

New Attorneys Flip the Script: Reverse Panel on Developing Great Lawyers (panel member with two other attorneys), Iowa Defense Counsel Association (IDCA), Annual Seminar, September 2020 

News

April 1, 2021 - Bradshaw Attorney Blake R. Hanson Named Iowa ‘STATEment Maker’ by Iowa State University Alumni Association

February 17, 2021 - Bradshaw Attorney Blake R. Hanson Obtains Dismissal of Negligence Claim

January 11, 2021 - Bradshaw Attorney Blake R. Hanson Writes About Importance of Women Running for Office

August 20, 2020 - The Best Lawyers in America® 2021

September 16, 2019 - Blake R. Hanson Joins Bradshaw, Fowler, Proctor & Fairgrave, P.C.