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At age 14, Mark Weinhardt discovered that he could stand in front of a crowd and make a convincing argument. By the time he graduated from high school in Cedar Rapids, he had been named the Iowa state debate champion.

“Debate and competitive speaking was something that I could compete in that I was good at, rather than being a laggard,” said Weinhardt, now 49 and president of the Belin McCormick P.C. law firm.

His specialty is civil and criminal litigation, and while he has made a name for himself in the courtroom, he has turned the heads of community leaders who recognize him as someone making an impact on Greater Des Moines.

Steve Zumbach, a partner at Belin McCormick who has managed to turn a few heads himself with his involvement in community affairs, said Weinhardt should serve as a role model for others who want to make a difference.

He points out that Weinhardt has developed a reputation as one of the top, if not the premier, trial lawyers in the state and the Midwest. He could pick his spot at the table of prestigious firms around the country. Instead, he returned to his home state and settled in Des Moines.

“We talk about a brain drain, yet here as an example of a young person who could have gone anyplace, and he chose to stay in our community,” Zumbach said.

Weinhardt arrived in Des Moines in 1991, going to work for what was then commonly called the Belin law firm, one of the area’s most recognizable legal practices. A native of Cedar Rapids, he had attended college at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and the University of Michigan law school.

As an undergraduate, his debate team ranked among the top five in the country.

His first legal experience was with a large Chicago firm, where was involved in every aspect of putting a case together except for arguing it before a judge and jury.

Weinhardt moved on to the felony division of the Winnebago County State’s Attorney Office in Rockford, Ill. He tried the first case in Illinois that relied on DNA evidence for identification.”Most folks would not have given up a high-paying job in a prestigious Chicago law firm to be a trial attorney in Rockford, Ill.,” Zumbach said.

Weinhardt did cut the career steps short at Belin McCormick, becoming partner after three and a half years and serving his first stint as president after eight.

He also became involved in community affairs, especially in the promotion of arts and culture. He served on the Metro Arts Alliance board for six years, including five years on the executive committee and one term as president. He was recently elected to the board of Ballet Des Moines.

Weinhardt credits his wife, Karrie, for his entrée to the world of art and culture. Karrie is a Rockford native who met her future husband on a return trip home after a stint at the London School of Economics. She helped launch the Des Moines Arts Festival and Winefest Des Moines. She currently is general manager of West Glen Town Center.

“I’ve been around the arts and culture a lot because I have been a grunt, lackey, gopher, cheerleader as she has been doing those things,” Weinhardt said.