Serves clients throughout Iowa from offices in West Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Bettendorf, and Milford. Guides personal representatives and successor trustees through probate and trust administration, represents families in will and trust disputes, and handles elder law and Medicaid planning. Also serves clients in Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois.
Probate in Woodbury County
Probate Court Record
Woodbury County District Court
Woodbury County · 3rd Judicial District
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Hours
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Self-help forms
How to file probate in Woodbury County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Woodbury County? →Settling an estate in Woodbury County →
Asset Protection Firms Serving Woodbury County
Serves central Iowa from Marshalltown. Handles probate and formal estate administration, trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and estate planning including revocable, special needs, and Miller trusts. Both attorneys also practice agricultural and tax law.
Forms for Planning Your Estate in Iowa
Free forms for planning your estate in Iowa: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for Iowa.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Pour-Over Will
In Iowa, a pour-over will is signed before 2Iowa Code § 633.279Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Transfer on Death Deed
Transfer real property to a beneficiary upon your death without probate. Available in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
Last Will and Testament
In Iowa, a will is signed before 2Iowa Code § 633.279Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyIowa Code § 633.279Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Tools for Planning Your Estate in Iowa
Free tools for planning your estate in Iowa: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for Iowa and read its answer.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In Iowa, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees set by the court and capped at a statutory scheduleIowa Code § 633.198 (reasonable fee determined by the court, not in excess of the personal representative schedule); § 633.197 (6% first $1K, 4% next $4K, 2% over $5K)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Iowa runs $3,140Estimate: 10 hours at $314, Clio's Iowa Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,710Estimate: 15 hours at $314, Clio's Iowa Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
Do I Need a TOD Deed?
Iowa does not authorize transfer on death deeds; sole-name real property goes through probate, at least 6 months for a simple estate, unless held in a trust or with a right of survivorship.
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Iowa automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceIowa Code § 598.20A; § 598.20B; § 633A.3107Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
