Family Law

• Divorce
• Child Support
  Family law matters can be legally and emotionally complex. These matters include premarital/prenuptial agreements, dissolution of marriage (divorce), child custody, child support, spousal support (alimony), post-decree modifications, adoptions, and several other issues.
• Child Custody and Visitation
• Adoption
• Premarital Agreement
• Guardianship
  We assist our clients with all aspects of estate planning from the simple to the complex. We prepare wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, pre-marital agreements, general and limited powers of attorney, living wills and medical powers of attorney. We provide advice in all matters related to guardianships and conservatorships. We have many years of experience and expertise in income taxation, accounting, qualified plan and IRA distributions, federal estate and gift taxation and the Iowa inheritance tax. We provide advice on asset ownership and beneficiary designations. We advise clients in all aspects of charitable giving, including charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, donor advised funds and private foundations. We prepare trusts for the benefit of children and disabled family members. We advise our elder clients on issues related to eligibility for nursing home benefits (Medicaid and Title XIX). We provide succession planning advice to farmers and business owners including strategies for obtaining valuation discounts, and the preparation of buy-sell agreements, deferred compensation agreements, split dollar life insurance agreements, grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATS), installment sales to intentionally defective grantor trusts, self canceling installment notes, operating agreements for limited liability companies and family limited partnership agreements. Our goal is to guide our clients through the complexities of transferring their assets to younger family members and the transfer of business interests to key employees or family members. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
• Spousal Support

Criminal Law

• Wrongful Death

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  We provide general counsel and transactional services to individuals and companies. Our attorneys advise clients on the proper business entity that should be formed, whether it be a partnership, limited liability company, or a corporation. We prepare all organizational documents and have significant experience in drafting both routine and complex buy-sell agreements and operating agreements. We also provide such counseling and assistance as is required for the proper handling of corporate affairs in companies in all stages of development.
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Business Disputes
• Limited Liability Companies
• Construction Contracts

Employment Law

• Workers Compensation
  Each year in Iowa, thousands of people suffer serious injury or death while at work or performing job functions. A workplace injury - whether minor or severe - could be grounds for a workers' compensation claim. Every employee and employer should be aware that the rights of all persons who sustain injuries on the job are governed by Iowa workers' compensation laws. Our attorneys have substantial experience in representing employers and employees before the Iowa Workers' Compensation Commissioner and the district and appellate courts, with respect to workers' compensation claims. When we represent injured employees, we do so either on a contingent fee or hourly fee basis. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
• Wrongful Termination
  Labor and Employment Law includes advising employers and employees regarding their relative rights and responsibilities under the law as well as handling employment related litigation in a cost-effective manner. Our attorneys advise clients in all areas including disability, discrimination, drug testing policies, employee benefits and ERISA, family medical leave, labor relations, covenants not to compete and other employment contracts, unemployment insurance and wage-related claims. Our objective is to avoid costly litigation wherever possible, including the preparation, maintenance and evaluation of employee handbooks. Where litigation cannot be avoided, our attorneys are prepared to handle employment litigation in both state and federal courts involving matters including sexual harassment, discrimination and wrongful termination matters for both employers and employees. Redfern, Mason, Larsen & Moore, P.L.C. can provide comprehensive services from initial planning and advice through any litigation which becomes necessary.
• Employment Contract
  We represent clients in business law transactions, including the negotiation and drafting of all types of contracts, including employment contracts, independent contractor agreements, software license agreements and other business relationship agreements. Our attorneys handle basic to complex purchase and sale agreements for the buyers and sellers of businesses. Whether it is an asset sale, a stock purchase or a merger, our attorneys are experienced in structuring, negotiating and drafting the documents necessary to protect the interests of our clients as either a buyer or a seller.
• Employment Litigation
  We also counsel companies regarding business and employment issues to try to avoid litigation or protect our clients from claims to the greatest extent possible. In the event of litigation, we have experience litigating on behalf of our clients to enforce agreements or other legal rights, collect debts and effectively resolve the myriad of disputes that can arise in the operation of a business. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
• Sexual Harassment

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  The law firm of Redfern, Mason, Larsen & Moore, PLC ("RMLM") has been engaged in the general practice of law since 1898. The firm serves clients in Cedar Falls and Waterloo, as well as throughout Northeast Iowa. RMLM is a full-service law firm that provides legal services in both litigation and in business and individual planning areas. The law firm has significant experience in all areas of litigation, both plaintiff and defense cases, including personal injury, wrongful death, workers' compensation, employment law, family law and business and commercial disputes. It serves as counsel for several insurance companies. RMLM serves clients in the areas of wills and estate planning, probate, corporate and individual business planning, taxation and real estate law. RMLM strives to provide the highest quality of legal representation to its clients consistent with the cost-effective delivery of legal services, while maintaining strong ethical standards. A free initial consultation and contingent fee arrangement are available for personal injury, wrongful death and other plaintiff's cases. Upon contacting the firm, you will be directed to an attorney who is capable of providing you with legal services that are appropriate to your needs.
• Premises Liability
  The firm represents several insurance companies and their insureds in litigated matters throughout Iowa. These defense cases include motor vehicle negligence/comparative fault cases, workers' compensation cases, premises liability cases, business litigation, contract disputes, general liability cases and professional negligence cases. Several attorneys in the firm have more than 20 years of experience handling defense cases and resolving claims through negotiation, mediation, arbitration and formal litigation in the state and federal courts of Iowa.
• Construction Litigation
  Real Estate law includes real estate transactions, zoning and land use regulation, and associated tax concerns such as 1031 exchange transactions. Our attorneys handle a variety of real estate matters, from residential purchase agreements and closings, including title examination, to platting and development issues. Our attorneys also handle related matters such as construction contracts, farm leases, foreclosures, landlord-tenant issues, management and lease agreements, mechanics’ liens and other lien issues, and property tax appeals. Many of our real estate attorneys have significant courtroom experience, which enables the attorney to both structure the transaction in a way that seeks to avoid litigation and confidently pursue or defend our clients’ rights should litigation become necessary. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
• Real Estate Transactions
  This article outlines some key issues you need to consider when you purchase a residence without the assistance of a realtor as well as those situations where the seller is trying to sell a residence in a “for sale by owner” situation sometimes called a FSBO. This article is not intended to provide legal or other professional advice but is intended to familiarize you with some of the issues and terminology you may face when you purchase and/or sell a residence. OFFER AND ACCEPTANCE OR REAL ESTATE SALES CONTRACT
• Land Use and Zoning
• Landlord-Tenant Disputes

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  The attorneys at Redfern, Mason, Larsen & Moore, P.L.C. have a long history of handling personal injury claims on behalf of persons who have been injured or who have lost a loved one in an accident or incident which was caused by fault or negligence on the part of some other third party. The law firm has been involved in handling these types of claims for more than 40 years, and several of the attorneys in the firm make these claims the primary emphasis of their law practices. The law firm has significant experience in the following areas...

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Nearly everyone should have a will to assure their property is distributed as they wish after they die. A will may also control the way in which heirs receive their bequests to take advantage of substantial tax savings. Proper estate planning may result in a will that can save thousands of dollars in federal estate taxes. Wills should be prepared and reviewed from time to time by an attorney to take into account changes in law as they occur.
• Wills
• Trusts
  A living trust, also known as a revocable trust, revocable living trust, or inter vivos trust, is an alternative way to own property during your life and transfer property at your death. Living trusts have been prepared by lawyers for clients for many years. You can create a living trust during your lifetime by signing a legal document that directs how property transferred to the trust will be managed, when and to whom the income from the trust property will be paid, and to whom, when and how the trust property will be distributed when you die. A person setting up the trust is called either a settlor, grantor, or trustor of the trust, while the person to whom you transfer your property is called the trustee. The persons who will receive the income during your lifetime or who will receive the trust property after your death, are called the beneficiaries. You may be the settlor, a trustee, and a beneficiary, all at the same time. The property in the trust is called the trust principal, corpus, or res.
• Power of Attorney
  A will is a written document that directs the distribution of your property at death, states who will care for and distribute that property, and names someone to care for your minor children. Each state has its own requirements for legal wills. An estate plan is a set of documents that includes your will and any additional documents created to plan for your death or disability. Such documents might include a trust, powers of attorney, a living will, and beneficiary designations on life insurance and retirement accounts.
• Probate

Finance Law

• Foreclosure
• Tax Law
  Our attorneys provide comprehensive tax planning, tax return preparation, and related services to individuals and businesses in all areas of taxation, including individual, estate and trust, limited liability company, partnership and corporate income tax matters, and federal estate and gift tax and state inheritance tax, and local property tax matters. We regularly represent clients before offices of the Internal Revenue Service, the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance, other state revenue departments, local tax assessors and boards of review, and, when appropriate, state and federal courts.