Nicholas Tré Critelli, JD

Tre has left the firm to take a position with the Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disiciplinary Board. Because of the potential for conflicts of interest he has separated from the firm and private practice. He retains his position as an English Barrister.  

Tré was called to the English Bar by the Middle Temple. He did his initial pupillage in chambers at 9 Bedford Row at the criminal bar. He has the distinction of being one of the few, if any, attorneys from the United States to appear before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the court of final appeal for the UK overseas and Crown dependencies.

Tré served for six years on the Iowa Supreme Court’s Attorney Disciplinary Board, and was its chairperson for the past two. During that period he oversaw the transition from enforcement of the Code of Professional Responsibility to the current Model Rules of Professional Regulation. Tre has been a frequent speaker on matters of legal ethics for local, county and state bar associations.

In addition to matters of legal ethics, Tré is also a well-known speaker in the area of implementing technology into the practice of law, social media and eDiscovery. He and his firm were awarded the first Innovation Award from the College of Law Practice Management and its co-sponsor at the time, the Microsoft Corporation. The award recognized CritelliLaw for its innovative action in improving law firm efficiency through the use of technology and office design. Tré’s law office and unique practice have been the subject of numerous articles in legal and professional publications, including The ABA Journal, Law Practice Magazine, Lawyers Weekly USA, The Iowa Lawyer and The Des Moines Business Record, and those of you familiar with Lexis Nexis’ CaseMap may also know of Tré from his duties as moderator of its online CaseMap community list serv for more than a decade.

Tré received his undergraduate degree in 1988 from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and his Doctorate of Jurisprudence in 1995 from Drake University’s Law School in Des Moines. During the interim he resided for half a decade in Japan, where he served on the faculty of Eichi University, which is now known as the St. Thomas University, Japan. Tré is a trained National Institute of Trial Advocacy faculty member and has served as an adjunct professor for both Drake’s Law School and Drake’s College of Business and Public Administration. Tré is also a Certified Fraud Examiner, the only attorney in Iowa with such a certification and focuses specifically upon frauds involving electronic crimes and torts. He is currently president of the Des Moines Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.