Forsythe, Sturm continue legacy of solving clients’ problems
By Holly Neumann
In 1939, DeLyle Omholt began practicing law in Iola.
Eighty years later, attorney David Forsythe carries on the tradition.
“DeLyle laid the foundation for me,” Forsythe said. “When you are new in an industry that is foreign to you, it’s hard to get where you need to go. He was kind enough to help me along the way for as long as he was here. There were things I could only ask him. He understood.”
Forsythe began working with Omholt in 1986, and became an associate partner in 1988.
After Omholt died in 1990, Forsythe took over the practice.
“This office was built on DeLyle’s reputation,” Forsythe said. “I don’t want people to ever forget that. It reminds me every day of the responsibility I have to the people that I help.”
Forsythe described Omholt as a gentleman.
“When he walked into a room, he had a certain presence about him,” Forsythe said. “This was something that is earned over time – an earned respect from his actions.”
In 2001, Paul J. Sturm (Jay) joined the office as counsel.
“DeLyle did not hold himself out as being better than anyone, and he would never destroy his reputation,” said Sturm. “He was a good man, a strong man, an honest man.”
Sturm provides services in administrative law, estate planning and personal injury.
Forsythe practices elder law, probate, personal injury, power of attorney, business and real estate law.
Their business is problem solving.
Their product is peace of mind.
“An attorney’s job has always been to be there to help people solve problems,” said Forsythe. “There is a lot more that goes along with that. We can help guide them. but you also have to understand the people that you serve.”
Memories of Omholt
Forsythe carries with him many memories of Omholt.
“DeLyle was always available to answer my questions,” he said. “There are many things that he taught me that I will always remember. He helped prepare me. It was all part of the lesson and a valued approach to the law.”
Trustworthiness and making sound judgments are some of the values found at Omholt and Forsythe.
“Neither Jay or I take this lightly,” said Forsythe. “When you are younger, you don’t have life experiences, but now we have lived it. The advice we now give and share are things we have experienced by helping others. This is something that you simply don’t learn in law school.”
In an effort to compete with some of the larger law firms, Forsythe makes himself available to meet with the people he serves at times that work for them.
“I make home visits or on weekends, I try to meet their schedule. After all, this is not about us. It’s about them and their needs,” he said. “It’s all about accessibility for my clients in their time of need. And I have to prove that through my actions, not my words.”
When asked what he thought DeLyle would say to him today, Forsythe laughs.
“He would ask me why I never learned how to play golf,” he said. “He was going to teach me how the year he passed away. I guess I would just have to tell him I was too busy helping people solve problems.”
A picture of Omholt still hangs in the office today.
“This is one of the first things I see in the morning when I come into the office and one of the last things I see when I leave,” said Forsythe. “It reminds me to always work in the same dignified, professional and courteous manner that DeLyle did.”
Forsythe plans to continue his work for as long as he can.
“I will carry on the legacy that DeLyle left behind,” he said. “This is who I am. This is what I do.”
Omholt and Forsythe S.C. Attorneys has offices at 105 Pine Crest Lane, in Iola, and 942 Depot St., in Manawa.