Finding an attorney who is a “real person” can be difficult. Many attorneys surround themselves almost exclusively with other attorneys and are accustomed to speaking in ivory tower legalese. You should be able to connect with your attorney on a personal level, and he or she should speak to you in plain language that you can understand. You will be working very closely with this person on issues that are very important to you. It is important that he or she be down-to-earth and someone that you connect with.
The most common complaint that clients have of their attorneys is that the attorney is unreachable, does not communicate with them regularly, or does not promptly return your calls. Your attorney should reach out to you about your case regularly and respond within 24 hours to calls and e-mails. An open line of communication between you and your attorney is essential to building trust.
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Your attorney’s goal should not be to win at all costs. Rather, it should be to achieve a favorable outcome for you as efficiently as possible. It is important that your attorney set realistic expectations at the outset as to the costs you should expect, the concerns that the attorney has about the outcome of your case, and the length of time that you should expect your case to take.
Regardless of the nature of your case, we have an experienced attorney who will focus on your individual needs. Our team of attorneys works closely together, bringing each of their different fields of experience to bear in order to optimize our client care.
Kevin's firm handled setting up my will and trust recently. They took something that seemed intimidating and made it easy to understand. I've also referred a couple clients to Kevin - he's trustworthy, approachable and very fairly priced.
"I've used Kevin and his firm's services since 2011. He gave undivided attention to my cases, advised me on different options and..."
"Kevin was extremely professional, responsive and knowledgeable when I came to him for help. I would definitely recommend O'Flaherty Law!"
Our Linn County Attorneys are great at what we do! Our excellent Linn County attorneys put client service first, and it shows. We have been named one of 2016's 10 Best Attorneys for Client Satisfaction by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys. We have received Avvo's 2016 Clients' Choice Award for both Divorce and Estate Planning. Kevin O'Flaherty was the recipient of Suburban Life Magazine's Best Under 40 Award for 2015. Most importantly, many of our past clients have taken the time to leave us glowing heartfelt testimonials. We understand that every client who chooses to trust us with their legal work is putting faith in us to go above and beyond to accomplish their goals, and we take that honor seriously.
We Provide Comprehensive Representation! We are your community law firm. Our business is built on long-term relationships with our clients. Our clients have the luxury of building trust over time with one team of attorneys, rather than having to find a new attorney for each different type of matter that arises throughout their lives. No one attorney can be experienced at everything. That is why we have worked hard to assemble a team of attorneys with extensive experience in different areas of experience. Our Linn County attorneys work together closely to bring our collective experience to bear on any issue that may arise for our clients.
We Are Accessible and Put our Clients First! Unlike many attorneys, we promptly respond to phone calls and e-mails, and make it a priority to get back to our clients immediately. More importantly, we affirmatively communicate with you about every aspect of your case and work to educate you about the legal process. Our Linn County attorneys are friendly, conscientious, and here to serve you.
We Are Efficient and Affordable! We know that the last thing most people can afford is expensive legal fees. Linn County attorneys would rather develop long-term relationships with our clients and have them rave about us and the value they received to their friends and family than charge what the market will bear. We have intentionally made our fees affordable, not because we have to, but because we can, and we want to help as many people as possible in order to build a reputation for efficiency, effectiveness and value.
Learn how we service your area with our Remote Location Approach.
The purpose of a consultation is to determine whether our firm is a good fit for your legal needs. Although we often discuss expected results and costs, our attorneys do not give legal advice unless and until you choose to retain us.
Schedule a ConsultationLearn More About The Firm616 4th Ave. SE, Ste. 108
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
I am personally committed to ensuring that each one of our clients receives the highest level of client service from our team. Our mission is to provide excellent legal work in a cost-effective manner while maintaining open lines of communication between our clients and their attorneys. Many of our clients are going through difficult times in their lives when they reach out to us. They should feel comfortable leaning on the experience and knowledge of our attorneys as their counselors and advocates. We are here to help!
In this video, our Linn County divorce attorneys explain the length of a divorce will always vary from case to case. Once papers have been filed for a “Petition for Dissolution of Marriage,” there is a mandatory 90 day waiting period after the “petitioner” serves the Petition to the “respondent” before the parties can be legally divorced. The spouse seeking the divorce is referred to as the “petitioner,” and the spouse receiving the “Petition for Dissolution of Marriage” is referred to as the “respondent.”
If both parties can reach an agreement about the “division of assets” and any other issues that may arise between the spouses, you may not have to appear in Court to receive your final “Decree of Dissolution.” However, if the parties are in agreement but there are children between the spouses, a brief Court appearance is likely necessary so that a judge can explain the responsibilities of each party and ensure that matters of custody, visitation and support are dictated in the “Decree of Dissolution.”
The state of Iowa also requires spouses with children to take a parenting class entitled “Children in the Middle” before issuing a final Decree. If there is not an agreement between the spouses, it can take over a year to finalize the divorce, depending on the number and complexity of issues the spouses are arranging.
In this video, our Linn County civil litigation attorneys explain the basics of the appeals process in Iowa. In Iowa, all cases are initially heard by the district trial courts. During these hearings, both sides will present evidence and written and oral arguments. Depending on the specifics of the case (criminal vs divorce vs child custody) a jury may be present or it will be a bench trial, meaning the judge makes all the decisions a jury would.
At the conclusion of the trial court hearing and after final judgment has been rendered, or after a certain order or motion has been entered by the trial court judge, the parties can seek to appeal to the Iowa appellate court to have the judges order reversed. In Iowa, all appeals go straight to the Iowa Supreme Court which then decides which cases it will hear and which cases it will transfer jurisdiction to the Iowa Court of Appeals.
In this video, our Linn County real estate attorneys explain how it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the foreclosure process in Iowa before making any important decisions. Federal law requires that a borrower be delinquent on their loan for at least 120 days before the foreclosure process is initiated. For example, if a borrower were to miss two mortgage payments, but then pay the costs of those two months, plus any other late fees, and continue to be up to date on their payments, the borrower would avoid foreclosure.