Des Moines County Lawyers

Dean grew up on a grain and livestock farm near Iowa City, passed the Certified Public Accountant exam, and focuses on pre-death estate planning and post-death trust/estate administration. His practice includes (i) establishing revocable (living) trusts to avoid probate and facilitate privacy, (ii) creating wills, trusts and retirement-account beneficiary designations with customized provisions to accomplish family-specific goals, such as delaying inheritances for immature beneficiaries, (iii) implementing powers of attorney for finances and for healthcare/medical directives (living wills), and (iv) administering probate estates and trusts and filing the necessary tax returns.

Bruce is proud to have actively participated in a wide range of professional and volunteer groups throughout his career, including The American College of Trial Lawyers (State Committee), Iowa Defense Counsel (President), Defense Update Magazine (Board of Editors), American Board of Trial Advocates (member), and The Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (Midwest Regional Membership Chair & Board of Directors). Bruce is a past president of the Iowa State Bar Association and continues to serve on the administrative committee. He is also a member of the Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission and serves as the chair of the Language Access...

Will was born in raised in the Iowa City area and obtained his undergraduate degrees and his law degree from the University of Iowa. He was admitted to the practice of law in Iowa in 2005 and has successfully argued cases before the Iowa Court of Appeals and the Iowa Supreme Court. He is also admitted to practice in all federal courts in Iowa. His diverse practice includes business litigation, real estate litigation, personal injury and wrongful death litigation, divorce and child custody litigation, landlord-tenant law, business formation and acquisition, and representing creditors in bankruptcy proceedings.

Will lives in Iowa City...

Pope grew up in Iowa City and, after attending college at Wesleyan University in Connecticut and working in the technology industry in San Francisco, California, returned to Iowa to pursue a career in law. After graduating with his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2003, he started his legal practice at Phelan Tucker Law Offices, where he continues his successful litigation practice. He primarily practices in the field of medical malpractice defense, health care law and represents the interests of healthcare professionals. He is admitted to practice in the State of Iowa and is a...

Kelsey Marquard is passionate about ensuring working men and women have a voice. She understands victims of discrimination or other workplace injustices are often at their most vulnerable when they seek legal advice. That vulnerability can be the same regardless of the client's individual situation, including whether the client is a victim of discrimination, a victim of sexual harassment, has not been getting paid, has not been paid overtime, has been retaliated against, or needs to negotiate a severance agreement. Kelsey knows each client is unique and that is why she looks forward to meeting with you and learning about...

Carolyn (“Dazi”) Russell Wallace was born and raised in Iowa City. She left to attend college in North Carolina, returned to Iowa City for law school, and began practicing at the firm in October 2013.

Carolyn maintains a general law practice that includes both transactional and litigation components. On the transactional side, Carolyn assists clients with estate planning, real estate matters, reviewing and negotiating contracts, and other general transactional issues. Carolyn’s litigation practice focuses on defending physicians in medical malpractice cases. Carolyn particularly enjoys legal research and writing, and she routinely assists clients with appellate matters.

In her free time, Carolyn likes...

Derek Hong is a founding partner of Hong Law, PLC. At Hong Law, PLC, the attorneys are dedicated in providing bankruptcy litigation. Derek attended the University of Iowa, where he received his J.D. Whether you are looking for assistance with the Means Test or debt negotiations, the attorneys at Hong Law, PLC know what it takes to get you through this challenging time. Contact us today at (319) 632-1400 to speak to a member of our team.

FRANK J. NIDEY, partner, is a 1980 graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law with distinction. He practiced as a public defender in the Burlington and Cedar Rapids offices for a total of four years. He has been in private practice since 1984. Mr. Nidey is a member of the Linn County and Iowa State Bar Associations, and the Linn County Family Law Committee. Mr. Nidey is the co-author of "Mandatory Penalties, Victim Cooperation, and the Judicial Processing of Domestic Abuse Assault Cases," Crime and Delinquency (1995). He was given the Volunteer Lawyers...

With 20 years of experience, Darin Luneckas practices primarily in the areas of Workers' Compensation and Personal Injury law. Darin believes communication is key to helping his clients get the best results possible. "I have a unique approach, I want to make sure my client knows what's going on every step of the way."
Darin and his staff care about their clients. They answer calls and emails in a timely manner. They take on challenging cases and assume the risks to build solid recovery for their clients.
Darin recently stepped down as the President of the Linn County Bar Association (LCBA) and...

Brad J. Brady is a native of Anamosa, Iowa and currently lives in Swisher, Iowa. Mr. Brady has practiced law in Cedar Rapids, Iowa since graduation from law school in 1978. He practices primarily in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, products liability and commercial litigation. He also serves as a mediator for a variety of civil litigation disputes, including personal injury, insurance disputes, civil rights, employment, real estate and property damage disputes.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, criminal lawyer and DUI (OWI) defense attorney David A. Cmelik Law PLC is an Iowa law firm limited exclusively to criminal law. The firm principal has 18 years experience with over 4,250 criminal cases completed. If you or a loved one has been arrested for OWI in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Waterloo, or other Iowa community, contact DAC-LAW PLC at 319-389-1889 https://www.daclawfirm.com

I have been representing clients throughout Iowa for over 30 years. My practice includes office work and litigation. My law practice includes representing clients in state and federal courts throughout Iowa. I specialize in criminal defense. Being convicted of a felony, drunk driving charge, a drug crime or a white-collar crime has a severe impact on employment and educational opportunities. During the first half of my career I practiced almost exclusively in civil law and I continue to have an active civil law practice.

Robert J. O'Shea has been with Brady & O'Shea, PC since its inception. He is a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Mr. O'Shea graduated from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1991, earning his Bachelor's Degree in business with cum laude honors. He obtained his law degree with honors from Drake University in 1995, graduating third in his class, and was elected Order of the Coif. He also was the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award for Contracts. Mr. O'Shea was admitted to Iowa Bar in 1995. In addition to practicing in Iowa's state courts, Mr. O'Shea is admitted...

Thomas Williams has spent most of his adult life in and around Iowa. A graduate of Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, Thomas spent several years working in a management development program for a company in the Quad Cities providing services to businesses across Eastern Iowa. After graduating with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law, Thomas practiced corporate litigation in the State of Delaware, primarily focused on claims related to director and officer duties to shareholders and the corporation. He and his wife later returned to the Iowa City area where Thomas spent several years practicing transactional...

Nick has tried over 100 contested cases to conclusion and has been recognized for his legal skill and professional achievement. Nick is a fellow of the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers which is open to membership for only 225 of the over 20,000 lawyers in Iowa. Membership is by appointment only. Nick is also Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. To obtain certification, the lawyer must pass a difficult examination, have demonstrated the requisite ski in your field to the examiners' satisfaction, have a clean ethical record, submit samples of your legal writing and submit recommendations from...

John Hathaway is an immigration and criminal defense attorney. He graduated from University of Iowa Law School, with distinction, in 2016. He initially worked at the immigration and criminal defense firm, Kasaby and Nichols, LLC, in Omaha Nebraska, then returned to Iowa City, Iowa to practice at Vondra & Malott, PLC, and now Malott Law, PLC. He practices before state district and appellate courts in Iowa, the Norther Federal District of Iowa, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, various immigration courts, USCIS, and the Board of Immigration Appeals. His focuses in removal defense, criminal defense, affirmative...

Nebraska and Iowa Divorce and Child Custody trial lawyer who primarily handles divorce and child custody cases around Omaha and Elkhorn, Nebraska, Council Bluffs, Iowa and surrounding areas. Over 40+ domestic trials and countless contested hearings appearances for clients. Advocate for parents seeking to preserve their access to their children and their parental rights. Trained Nebraska Parenting Plan Mediator. Brad is a local attorney, trained mediator, dedicated father, and relentless advocate for clients with experience before most area Nebraska and Iowa judges and attorneys.

Attorney Tim Bottaro is a graduate of Creighton University (B.A. 1981) and the University of Iowa (J.D. 1983 With Distinction). He is admitted to practice law in the United States Appellate Court (8th Circuit) and United States Federal Court, as well as Iowa state courts. Tim handles primarily personal injury cases, such as car accidents, motorcycle accidents, semi accidents, bicycle accidents, pedestrian injury accidents, wrongful death claims, construction accidents, dram shop suits (vs. establishments who serve alcohol), slip and falls, and animal bites. He also handles insurance litigation and general litigation matters. With Tim, your consultation is always free! Tim became...

Joe Casey is a civil trial attorney representing plaintiffs in financial, products, and medical litigation. Rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, Joe has been recognized as a Great Plains Rising Star by SuperLawyer, and been named one of the country's leading young plaintiff lawyers by Lawdragon as well as a Top 40 Under 40 trial attorney by National Trial Lawyers.

I represent businesses and their owners in a variety of different spaces, ranging from agriculture, construction and real estate development all the way to emerging technology, venture capital and financial services. The diversity of the clients I work for and the issues they present me with make me well-equipped to provide you practical legal advice on all matters pertaining to your business.

My specific expertise is in structuring, negotiating and documenting merger and acquisition (“M&A”) transactions. In the past few years, I’ve served as lead or associate counsel on a variety of M&A transactions, ranging in value from $5,000 to over...

Attorney Colby M. Lessmann was born and raised in Sioux City, Iowa, and is a graduate of Sioux City North High School. Colby graduated from the University of South Dakota School of Business (B.S., 1996) and School of Law (J.D., 1999). During his law school education, he published a casenote in the South Dakota Law Review (1998) and was both the Managing Editor and the Production Editor for Volume 44 of the South Dakota Law Review (1998-1999). After graduating from Law School, Colby clerked for Justice Robert Amundson of the South Dakota Supreme Court in Pierre, South Dakota. In August...

Brad Biren is an elder law and estate planning attorney with specialized training in tax law. He is passionate about crisis Medicaid planning, special needs planning, and reducing tax liability. Much of his work also focuses on business and land-use consulting for startups, early ventures, and agriculture. Born in New York, Brad attended Cornell University for his undergraduate degrees in both landscape architecture and plant sciences. In 2006, he became the youngest person in the state of Florida to obtain LEED Accreditation. Mr. Biren moved to Iowa to attend the University of Iowa College of...

I am an aggressive, experienced criminal defense lawyer. I handle all types of criminal cases including but not limited to: traffic tickets, assaults, domestic assaults, sexual assaults, OWI, public intoxication, drug charges, federal drug charges, federal child pornography charges, federal medicare fraud, state & federal gun charges, harassment, stalking, burglary, robbery, forgery, theft, fraud, murder etc. I also handle state and federal appeals from all types of criminal cases. My goal is to get you the best possible outcome on your case. This involves a skilled evaluation of the charges, the evidence and available strategies. I will never back...