Adjudicating Unemployment: A Conversation with Administrative Law Judges

Adjudicating Unemployment: A Conversation with Administrative Law Judges

We’ll focus on key updates and best practices around unemployment—what employers need to know, how to navigate claims effectively, and strategies for compliance and communication. This is a valuable opportunity to ask questions, clarify processes, and ensure your team is well-prepared to handle unemployment-related issues confidently.

Judge Duane L. Golden began serving as an Administrative Law Judge in the Unemployment Appeals Bureau in Des Moines, Iowa in 2014. He started his legal career as a deputy public defender in Idaho Falls, Idaho in 1997 and later served as a deputy county attorney in Pocatello, Idaho and in Lewiston Idaho beginning in 2001. He was appointed to the position of magistrate judge in Adams County Iowa in 2005. He was later elected to serve as the Adams County Attorney in 2012. Judge Golden served in the U.S. Army beginning in 1983 through 1986 as a combat medic. He later graduated from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa in 1991, and he received his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1996. He is married and has three adult children, and one grandchild.

Judge Patrick Thomas has served as an Administrative Law Judge in the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, Unemployment Insurance Appeals Bureau since October 2022. He earned his bachelor's degree from Iowa State University in 2011 and graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2014. After law school, he served as a law clerk for the Fourth Judicial District Court of Iowa. He then worked as an Attorney Advisor for the Appeals Council in the Social Security Administration's Office of Analytics, Review, and Oversight in Washington D.C. from 2016 through 2018. He then served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board for four years.

Lunch will be served from 11:30am to 12:00pm

Session will start at 12:00pm