Nodaway Lawyers

Facing a divorce or family law matter is often a challenging and overwhelming time. When experiencing these issues, it is important to have a dedicated attorney on your side to protect your rights and guide you through the process. Melissa Lewis is a compassionate Senior Associate Attorney with Stange Law Firm. Located in our Des Moines, Iowa, office, she is prepared to assist clients throughout Polk County and the surrounding areas. Melissa received her Juris Doctor from City University School of Law in Long Island City, NY, in May of 2008. At CUNY School of Law, she participated in several clinics...

When facing a divorce or family law matter, having strong legal representation is essential. Alexander “Alec” LeSher is a dedicated Senior Associate Attorney at Stange Law Firm, serving clients from the Des Moines, Iowa office and throughout Polk County and surrounding areas. Alec is committed to advocating for his clients and guiding them through the legal process with compassion and diligence. Alec earned his Juris Doctor with highest honors from Drake University Law School in May 2020, graduating Order of the Coif and ranking 8th in his class. While at Drake, he received CALI Awards in Criminal Law and Civil Procedure,...

Pete Larkin began his career with the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2010, serving as an Attorney Advisor in the Office of Hearings Operations for the Iowa region. In this role, he collaborated closely with Administrative Law Judges, legal assistants, and fellow attorneys to adjudicate and manage a high volume of disability claims, including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) cases. Over the course of his tenure, Pete developed expertise in the SSA’s five-step disability evaluation process, having helped process thousands of claims. His commitment to operational excellence and equitable adjudication led to his promotion to Supervisory...

Attorney Tim Bottaro is a graduate of Creighton University (B.A. 1981) and the University of Iowa (J.D. 1983 With Distinction). He is admitted to practice law in the United States Appellate Court (8th Circuit) and United States Federal Court, as well as Iowa state courts. Tim handles primarily personal injury cases, such as car accidents, motorcycle accidents, semi accidents, bicycle accidents, pedestrian injury accidents, wrongful death claims, construction accidents, dram shop suits (vs. establishments who serve alcohol), slip and falls, and animal bites. He also handles insurance litigation and general litigation matters. With Tim, your consultation is always free! Tim became...

Mindi Vervaecke is an Attorney at Law for Wertz Law Firm, P.C. Her practice focuses on Workers' Compensation. Mindi joined the firm in 2021 and is committed to representing injured workers throughout the state of Iowa. As a 1996 graduate of the University of Iowa Law School with distinction, Mindi has been a member of the Iowa Association of Justice Workers' Compensation Core Group, Continuing Education Committee, Iowa Supreme Court Nominating Commission. Mindi currently serves as a member of the Iowa Supreme Court Commission on Continuing Legal Education, in addition to her memberships with the Iowa Association of Justice and Iowa Association...

Attorney Colby M. Lessmann was born and raised in Sioux City, Iowa, and is a graduate of Sioux City North High School. Colby graduated from the University of South Dakota School of Business (B.S., 1996) and School of Law (J.D., 1999). During his law school education, he published a casenote in the South Dakota Law Review (1998) and was both the Managing Editor and the Production Editor for Volume 44 of the South Dakota Law Review (1998-1999). After graduating from Law School, Colby clerked for Justice Robert Amundson of the South Dakota Supreme Court in Pierre, South Dakota. In August...

Attorney Dean Fankhauser was raised in Chadron, Nebraska and is the son of former business owners who still reside in Chadron today. After graduating from Chadron State College, Dean studied at The University of South Dakota School of Law and graduated in 2014 with a Juris Doctor. While in law school, Dean had many great experiences, including advancing to the Elite 8 of the Sam Masten Appellate Advocacy Competition and completing an internship at the Federal Public Defender’s office in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Dean moved to the Siouxland Community after law school and shortly began working as an associate attorney....

Nebraska and Iowa Civil and Family Law trial lawyer who primarily handles cases in Northeast Nebraska and Northwest Iowa, Sioux City, and surrounding areas. Advocates for parents seeking to preserve access to their children and parental rights, and for those seeking a fair resolution to their domestic and general litigation matters. Janell is a local attorney and relentless advocate for clients, with litigation experience in both Iowa and Nebraska.

Attorney T. Cody Farrens was raised in Decatur, Nebraska working on the family farm. He attended college at the University of Nebraska at Omaha before attending law school at the University of Iowa. While in law school, Cody was on the Jessup International Moot Court Competition and was published in the Journal of Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems. Cody graduated from law school in 2010 and relocated with his family to Sioux City, where he began work at a local law firm focusing on insurance issues, personal injury, family law, and workers’ compensation. He then became a partner at Fankhauser, Farrens...

Gunda J. Brost is a U.S. immigration attorney ("lawyer") from Oldenburg, North Germany. Ms. Brost holds a J.D. from Hamline Mitchell University School of Law (2006) and holds a license to practice law in Iowa (2007). Ms. Brost has represented clients from all over the world in various different immigration-related matters and has a special interest in asylum law, waivers and getting complex cases unstuck. Ms. Brost is fluent in French, German and Spanish.

Mark Thompson practices criminal defense law in Iowa City and the surrounding areas in Eastern Iowa. He has been operating his own firm, practicing in criminal law, since 2005. He has represented clients in over 2,000 criminal cases, with a majority of these cases being OWI / DUI. Mark has also handled contract defense cases for the Iowa State Public Defender, served as defense counsel for the Johnson County Drug Treatment Court, and served as a Judicial Magistrate. Now he focuses solely on his private criminal law practice.

Some lawyers dabble in many different areas of the law. Not so for Tom Wertz. Shortly after moving into private practice, he turned his focus to workers' compensation and representing injured workers. Wertz quickly recognized the need for experienced attorneys in this specialized field. His commitment has resulted in a legal practice representing injured workers for more than 35 years. His record before the Iowa Supreme Court has led to major legal changes on behalf of injured workers. These changes include: Compensation benefits for tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and acute psychological injuries. Home medical care for out-of-state injured workers. These workers no...