Top Best Estate Lawyers | 18313 Available

Pamela B. Stuart, a former federal prosecutor, provides sophisticated defense in white collar criminal cases.  She also represents members of the intelligence community, the military and contractors with security clearance problems.  She represents clients who have disability claims and need assistance in presenting their claims to the government and/or insurance companies.   Pam enjoys helping families and individuals with estate planning, preparing special needs trusts, and crafting solutions to many of life's problems.   She has international expertise as well and can advise clients with diplomatic and consular immunity issues.. Pam is licensed currently in New York and Virginia only.

Charlie Bottenberg is a shareholder at Brick Gentry P.C., who practices primarily in the areas of wills, trusts, probate, estate planning, small businesses, and real estate. Charlie is a trusted advisor to his clients including area executives, agricultural families, small business owners, and many working families all across Iowa. He believes in an educational approach to estate planning and strives to offer each client a tailored experience and plan that suits their situation and familial needs by giving them the tools and knowledge to choose which estate planning path makes the most sense for their family. Charlie has experience working with estate planning clients all the way from eighteen year old clients just starting out on their own through multigenerational agricultural operation succession planning.. Charlie has personal experience pertaining to the unique struggles and challenges that owning a small or medium sized business presents. While growing up, his grandparents owned and ran the family shoe store in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Charlie’s mom owned and operated a landscaping operation for many years. Additionally, Charlie has his Master of Business Administration from Iowa State University and owned and operated a small law firm in Waukee directly out of law school from May of 2013 through September of 2020.. Charlie has advised his business clients through a myriad of issues including: business structure and entity selection, acquisitions, sales, succession planning, procurement, and other organizational needs. He has assisted on transactions with estimated values of $10,000 all the way through $75,000,000+.. Charlie is active in the community serving on the Waukee City Council, Scoutmaster for Troop 888 at St. Francis of Assisi in West Des Moines, and is an active participant in the sporting lives of his three children.. Charlie is an Eagle Scout and a member of the 2018 Class of the Business Record 40 Under 40 for Des Moines, Iowa.

Alexandria Ransom joined Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman PLC in 2017 and is a member of the firm’s Estate Planning and Private Wealth practice group. In this role, Ms. Ransom advises clients regarding gift and estate tax planning, succession planning for family businesses and charitable gifting. In addition, she drafts wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, premarital agreements and estate and gift tax returns.. Ms. Ransom received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, and earned her Juris Doctor with High Distinction at the University of Iowa College of Law in 2017. She has been selected to the Iowa Chapter of the Order of the Coif and is recognized in Best Lawyers for Trusts and Estates and Great Plains Super Lawyers Rising Stars for Estate and Probate law.

With more than 20 years of experience, including clerking at the Iowas Court of Appeals and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Des Moines, James Radig has effectively represented clients ranging from insurance companies and banks to municipalities and school districts. In 2008, Radig joined Arenson Law Group, PC in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Having recieved his Juris Doctorate with high distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1984, Radig focuses on cases pertaining to estate planning, real estate law, business law, corporate law, bankruptcy, and litigation. Currently, Radig is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Linn County Bar Association.

William was born and raised in Northeast Iowa in the town of New Hampton. He has followed both his father’s and his brother’s lead, receiving a degree in both accounting and law. While in law school he participated in many groups and was fortunate enough to be the Treasurer of the Student Bar Association and the Managing Editor of the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law.. William practices out of the Marion office of Pearson Bollman Law. His practice focuses on estate planning, elder law, probate/trust administration, and taxation.. Education. William graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Accounting in 2014. He then attended Drake University Law School and graduated with a Juris Doctor in 2017.

Travis Cavanaugh advises individuals and business clients regarding estate and wealth transfer planning, general business and corporate law, and tax matters. Mr. Cavanaugh’s prior experience as a public accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago provides useful insight into tax implications as it relates to personal and business succession planning, gift and estate tax planning, and general business transactions. In addition, Mr. Cavanaugh prepares estate tax returns, gift tax returns, and fiduciary income tax returns.. Corporate Transactions and Business Counseling. Mr. Cavanaugh advises businesses of all sizes and their owners and officers regarding entity organization, operations, governance, reorganization, and tax and succession planning, which includes the review, negotiations and drafting of contracts related to mergers, sales and purchases of assets or stock, reorganizations, redemptions and buy-sell agreements.. Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, Probate and Wealth Transfer. Mr. Cavanaugh advises clients regarding gift and estate tax planning, succession planning for family businesses and charitable gifting. In addition, he drafts wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, premarital agreements and estate and gift tax returns.. Probate. To help clients after the loss of a family member. Mr. Cavanaugh assists clients with the administration of trusts and estates and works to resolve trust and estate controversies.. Taxation. Mr. Cavanaugh advises individual and business clients regarding the tax aspects (income, gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer) of proposed business transactions, pass-through entities (limited liability companies, partnerships and S corporations) and estate planning techniques.

Mr. Wenzel represents clients with matters relating to business transactions, estate planning, probate and trust administration and real estate law. He particularly enjoys helping those in the special needs community with disability planning, special needs trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships. Mr. Wenzel also makes frequent court appearances, representing his clients in hearings and trials.. Mr. Wenzel attended Creighton University School of Law and became a certified mediator at the Werner Institute for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Center. After practicing in Omaha, Nebraska, Mr. Wenzel moved back to Cedar Rapids to practice with his father, Richard C. has since served clients for over a decade, joining Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman PLC in 2024.

Gary has been working with individuals and families to help with their estate and tax planning for almost thirty years. He has a robust tax practice, preparing both individual and fiduciary returns. With this background, he also advises his clients on their estate planning, bringing his areas of expertise together to draft comprehensive plans that accomplish their goals. Gary also facilitates trust and estate administration, and so further helps families carry out their plans. In his career, Gary has worked with multiple generations, providing guidance and counsel on issues relating to finances, taxes, wealth transfer, and almost everything in between.. Originally from northwest Iowa, Gary is fond of saying that he is just one of the sons of a cattle and pig farmer. It is this approachable attitude, coupled with a quick brain and an aptitude for numbers (Gary has also passed the Certified Public Accountant exam), that draws clients to him. He is able to make the most complicated of situations an effortless breeze, something that all who work with him dearly appreciate.