James Pray

Your Company Just Enabled a Remote Workplace. . . but is it Secure?

By James Pray | 03.31.2020

The rapid spread of COVID-19 in the US has forced many companies to establish remote access to their systems in order to continue to operate. As an attorney working with clients on data security matters, I am seeing an uptick in compromised Microsoft Office 365 accounts as companies make the transition. Office 365 is a great platform that allows... Read More

Targeted Cyber Attacks are Rapidly Increasing in 2019

By James Pray | 05.10.2019

Your company, your vendors and suppliers, and your customers are currently under the biggest wave of cyber-attacks that I’ve seen since the internet was created. If you have not noticed this latest wave of attacks, your vendors and customers have or your company may simply not be aware that it has already been attacked. Along with being a... Read More

EPA and USACE Move to Rescind 2015 Waters of the U.S. Rule

By James Pray | 07.06.2017

BrownWinick environmental attorney James Pray posted recently on his Iowa Environmental Compliance blog on the new rule, proposed on June 27, 2017 by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Army and Army Corps of Engineers ("USACE"), to rescind the 2015 Waters of the U.S. Rule and re-codify the regulatory test that existed prior... Read More

BrownWinick Involved in Building Energy's First Wind Farm in Iowa

By James Pray | 05.19.2017

Building Energy, through its subsidiary Building Energy Wind Iowa, announced the completion of its first U.S. wind farm (“Project”) in Iowa, on Wednesday, May 3, 2017. Building Energy is a global renewable energy company with its firm headquarters in Milan, Italy. The Project will have the first turbines in the state with three megawatts of... Read More

No, Sharing Your Netflix Password is Not a Crime

By James Pray | 07.14.2016

BrownWinick attorney James Pray was quoted in an article ("No, sharing your Netflix password is not a crime") that discussed if it is illegal for consumers to share their passwords for Netflix, HBO Now and other pay services. This article was posted in the Thursday, July 14, 2016 edition of The Des Moines Register. Read More

NJR Purchases Iowa Wind Farm

By James Pray | 04.12.2015

NJR (“New Jersey Resources”) announced on February 2, 2015 that the Carroll Area Wind Farm is now in operation mode. They (“NJR”) invested approximately $42 million to construct, own and operate the wind farm, which is located on 1,100 acres of rural agricultural land in Carroll County, Iowa, approximately 65 miles northwest of Des Moines, Iowa.... Read More

Iowa Court of Appeals Awards Attorney Fees Against the IDNR

By James Pray | 04.10.2015

On April 8, 2015, the Iowa Court of Appeals awarded Monroe ("Monte") Branstad the attorney fees of attorney James Pray in the amount of $71,000 and an additional amount to be decided on remand for appellate fees. Monte Branstad was deemed to be the prevailing party in his appeal against a fish-kill assessment levied against him by the Iowa... Read More

Iowa Supreme Court Rules on Solar Power Purchase Agreement

By James Pray | 08.03.2014

On July 11, 2014, the Iowa Supreme Court issued a long-awaited ruling on the legality of a power purchase agreement (“PPA”) between Eagle Point Solar and its customer, City of Dubuque, for the sale of electricity from solar panels. The case was handled by Phil Stoffregen, who argued the case at all levels, and James Pray and Jonathan Gallagher,... Read More