Top best Estate Planning Lawyers in Des Moines | 50 available

Serving my veteran community,  the most vulnerable members of our community, either due to disability or incapacity, and those desiring to set in motion a holistic plan for thier family and loved ones, I am honored to help through effective estate, disability and elder planning.. I native to the Burien area and a life-long hiker and soccer player.

I run a paperless, tech-savvy law practice.  I thrive on efficiency and productivity.  My problem solving strategies save time for my clients.  I take action as judiciously as the law allows.  I am ready to serve you and help solve your problem.

I practice primarily in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, and business law.. I provide comprehensive estate planning services including wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, business succession planning, and estate, gift, and GST tax planning. My goal is to help you plan your legacy by getting to know your goals and family circumstances and coordinating your estate plan to fit those needs.

I have practiced law since 1979, with a focus on estate and tax planning for larger estates, complex trust and estate administration matters, charitable organizations and retirement planning.. I am an active member of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and currently serve as a member of its Board of Regents and Executive Committee.  I have also served on several college committees and as chair of the Technology in the Practice Committee and as current vice-chair of the Communications Committee.  I am an active member of the Iowa State Bar Association, both in its tax section and the probate and trust law section.  I am a member of the board of directors of the Iowa Academy of Trust and Estate Counsel.

I currently chair the Firm’s Agricultural Law Practice Group. As a civil litigator I assist clients navigating such areas of law as Surety and Fidelity, Construction, Complex Commercial, Estate and Trust, Employment and Personal Injury.. I counsel clients in all aspects of litigation from initial evaluation through the appellate process with a focus on efficient resolution of client issues.

I am an associate attorney in the Whitfield & Eddy Law Estates, Wills and Trusts Practice Group. Additionally, I represent clients in business law and corporate matters and real estate transactions.. As an estates, wills and trusts attorney, I work with clients to help them understand the relationships between assets, family members, goals and expectations to recommend solutions to achieve the desired results. Often this includes advice and assistance with business formation, succession planning and real estate matters.

Denise M. Hill, JD, MPA is an Of Counsel Attorney and Mediator in the firm’s Health Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution Groups.  Denise has practiced law in a variety of settings and has represented diverse health law clients including hospitals, physicians, provider organizations, insurance companies and government agencies.  Trained by the American Health Lawyers Association and the International Academy of Alternative Dispute Resolution, she is an active mediator in the health dispute resolution process for the Iowa Workers Compensation system.. Denise is Director of Health Law Programs and a Visiting Associate Professor of Health Law at the Drake University Law School since 2015.. Denise was a full-time Assistant Professor on faculty in the College of Health Sciences and the College of Medicine at Des Moines University where she taught courses on health law, ethics and conflict resolution.. Denise was the recipient of the 2010 MHA and 2007 MPH Professor of the Year awards and is a highly sought after speaker.. She maintains an active presence in the health law and academic communities where she is the Past President of the Iowa Society of Healthcare Attorneys, the 2010-2011 President of the Faculty for the College of Health Sciences, and is a co-author of the book Powerful Learning Communities, A Guide to Developing Student, Faculty, and Professional Learning Communities to Improve Student Success and Organization published by Stylus in 2013.

David practices primarily in the area of taxation. He provides a broad range of tax counsel to small businesses on topics including federal and state income tax planning, taxation of employee benefits, equity structure and mergers, and succession planning. He also counsels and advises clients with respect to the management of their wealth to minimize estate and inheritance taxes through the use of asset protection trusts, grantor trusts, powers of appointment, lifetime gifts, QTIP trusts and generation skipping trusts. As part owner of a family farm operation, David provides income tax, FICA tax and succession planning counsel to many farm clients.

Breanna is a fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, charter member of the Iowa Academy of Trust & Estate Counsel, and Council Member of the Iowa State Bar Association Probate, Trust, and Estate Planning Section.. In August 2015, Chief Justice Cady appointed Breanna to the Iowa Supreme Court’s Guardianship and Conservatorship Reform Task Force to review and make recommendations about Iowa’s guardianship and conservatorship laws and procedures.. Breanna has received the AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell—the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards.