IA Specific

Trusts, Estates & Probate

Estate Planning in Iowa: From A to Z

Credits Available
Credit Status Total
Iowa CLE Approved 6 Total
OnDemand
5 hours 59 minutes
Jessica Shannon
Merlaine Mosley
Jennifer Harrington
With Jessica Shannon from Dentons + 3 others
Recorded December 05, 2025.
Product ID 100965

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Overview

Get Critical Tools for Shaping Your Clients' Legacies

This no-nonsense introduction to estate planning breaks it down to its key working documents and fundamental steps. Learn how to map out asset transfers during life and distributions in probate, prepare clients for incapacity and nursing home care, and more. Whether you're just getting started or looking for a practical refresher, you'll find our expert faculty's insights helpful. Get the tools and tactics you'll need to ensure your client's estates function as intended. Register today!

  • Explore the top types of wills and trusts used in the practice, and pick the right one for each client.
  • Build Medicaid eligibility planning into your overall plans and avoid unintentional tax and creditor exposure.
  • Prevent POA abuse through wise choice of proxy and careful drafting.
  • Help clients plan for medical decision-making and diminishing capacity.
  • Plan for the tax consequences of trusts and other planning techniques and find ways to minimize the tax burden.
  • Spot common mistakes that will land you in hot water in joint representation of spouses.

Abbreviated Agenda

  1. Probate in a Nutshell: What to Expect
  2. Gifts, Joint Accounts, Intervivos Transfers, LLCs, IRAs, and Annuities
  3. Special Needs Trusts and Medicaid Planning
  4. Essential Will and Trust Drafting
  5. Financial and Medical Decision-Making, Guardianships
  6. Essential Tax Tactics
  7. Legal Ethics

Related Topics

Product ID 100965

Credit Details

Credits Available
Credit Status Total
Iowa CLE Approved 6 Total
Select Jurisdiction
CLE

Agenda

All times are shown in

  1. Probate in a Nutshell: What to Expect

  2. Gifts, Joint Accounts, Intervivos Transfers, LLCs, IRAs, and Annuities

  3. Special Needs Trusts and Medicaid Planning

    1. Medicaid Eligibility Criteria
    2. Medicaid Planning Tools
    3. Types of Special Needs Trusts
    4. Essential SNT Provisions
    5. Preserving Benefits
    6. ABLE Accounts

  4. Essential Will and Trust Drafting

    1. Client Intake and Crafting the Overall Plan
    2. Wills vs. Trusts
    3. Top Trusts to Use
    4. Drafting Essential Provisions (With Sample Language)
      1. Fiduciary Powers
      2. Distributions
      3. Special Clauses

  5. Financial and Medical Decision-Making, Guardianships

    1. Choosing the Right Proxies
    2. "Dangerous" Powers
    3. Adult Guardianships
    4. Medical POAs and Advance Directives

  6. Essential Tax Tactics

    1. Current State and Federal Tax Rates and Exclusions
    2. Tax Tactics for Small vs. Large Estates
    3. Valuation of Assets
    4. Taxation and Tax Consequences of Trusts

  7. Legal Ethics

    1. Who Is Your Client?
    2. Conflicts of Interest
    3. Joint Representation of Spouses
    4. Client Capacity
    5. Effective Communication
    6. Practicing Before the IRS
    7. Attorney Fees, Engagement Agreements, and Client Trust Accounts
    8. Preventing UPL

Who Should Attend

This basic level online seminar is designed for:

  • Attorneys
  • Accountants and CPAs
  • Tax Professionals
  • Trust Officers
  • Estate Planners
  • Paralegals

Speakers

Jessica Shannon
Jessica
Shannon
Dentons
RS
Robert
Stewart
Crary Huff Law Firm
Merlaine Mosley
Merlaine
Mosley
Law Mosley, P.C.
Jennifer L Harrington
Jennifer L.
Harrington
Buchanan, Bibler, Gabor & Meis
Speaker bio
Jessica Shannon

Jessica Shannon

Dentons
Jessica Shannon

is an attorney with a focus on divorce and family law. She represents clients in divorce proceedings, domestic relations trials, contested hearings, contempt hearings, child support hearings, and appeals. As a natural extension of her empathetic approach and work with families, Ms. Shannon also assists with wills, trusts, and estate matters, including guardianships and conservatorships. Domestic litigation is often a new and difficult time for Ms. Shannon's clients, and she works diligently to communicate and work with her clients to ensure their needs are met through their ongoing legal matters. For each case, she offers a pragmatic and strategic approach to help her clients obtain the best possible outcome, inside or outside the courthouse. Ms. Shannon uses creative problem-solving, critical thinking, and a keen legal sense to help effectively resolve client issues. When needed, she advocates for her clients in the courtroom as an adept trial attorney, advocating for clients in courtrooms across Iowa. Before becoming a lawyer in 2017, Ms. Shannon worked as a paralegal, earning her certification from Kirkwood Community College in 2012. She received her political science degree in 2008 from the University of Iowa.

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Speaker bio
RS

Robert Stewart

Crary Huff Law Firm
Robert Stewart

is a partner at Crary Huff Law Firm, where he focuses on estate planning, probate, trust administration, and elder law. He provides compassionate guidance to clients facing the loss of a loved one, helping them navigate the estate administration process with clarity and support. Mr. Stewart is admitted to practice in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. He earned his undergraduate degree from Central College and his law degree from Drake Law School.

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Speaker bio
Merlaine Mosley

Merlaine Mosley

Law Mosley, P.C.
Merlaine Mosley

is an attorney at her practice, Law Mosley, P.C., located in Ames, Iowa. She focuses on wills, trust administration, asset protection, probate, elder law, and Medicaid planning. Ms. Mosley earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and her J.D. degree from Drake University Law School. She is licensed to practice law in the state of Iowa.

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Speaker bio
Jennifer L Harrington

Jennifer L. Harrington

Buchanan, Bibler, Gabor & Meis
Jennifer Harrington

is with Buchanan, Bibler, Gabor & Meis, Attorneys at Law, where her practice focuses on business law, elder law, probate, and wills, trusts, and estate planning. She is active in numerous professional and community organizations, including the Iowa State Bar Association, the Kossuth County Bar Association, and the Association of Farm Transitions Planners. Her service extends into her community through roles such as Planning and Zoning Commissioner for the City of Algona, Civil Service Commissioner for Kossuth County, past Board President of the Algona YMCA, and ongoing involvement with Rotary and the Algona VFW. She is admitted to practice in Iowa. Ms. Harrington received her B.A. from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and her J.D., with Highest Honors and a Certificate in Food and Agricultural Law, from Drake University.

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