Serves Linn, Johnson, and Black Hawk counties from Cedar Rapids, with remote consultations elsewhere in Iowa. Handles uncontested probate and uncontested adult guardianships, and prepares wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, and special needs trusts for flat fees. A solo practice where Scott Shoemaker handles every file personally.
Probate in Johnson County
Probate Court Record
Johnson County District Court
Johnson County · 6th Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
417 South Clinton Street, Iowa City, IA 52240
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Johnson County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Johnson County? →Settling an estate in Johnson County →
Special Needs Planning Firms Serving Johnson County
Serves Dubuque and clients across Iowa, including Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and West Union, from downtown Dubuque. Helps executors, beneficiaries, and families with wills, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and the administration of decedents' estates. Founded in 1890; offers free initial consultations to estate planning and probate clients.
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.
All 4 Iowa special needs planning firms serving Johnson County →
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.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
Iowa treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultIowa Code § 633B.105Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryIowa Code § 633B.105Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
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Free
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.
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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.
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.
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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Iowa, four years at a public university cost about $82,188NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is 12% below the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax. Iowa's inheritance tax is repealed for deaths on or after January 1, 2025 (Iowa Code § 450.98, 2021 Acts ch 177 / SF 619), as is the qualified use inheritance tax (§ 450B.8). Iowa's estate tax (Iowa Code ch. 451) and generation skipping transfer tax (ch. 450A) were repealed outright by 2014 Acts ch 1076 §25. The Iowa Department of Revenue confirms: "Iowa inheritance tax is not applicable for deaths occurring on or after 1/1/25."Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Calculate the Amount
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable 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 and a simple will $864Estimate: 3 hours at $288, Clio's Iowa Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,728Estimate: 6 hours at $288, Clio's Iowa Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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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.
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