In this video our Polk County appeals attorneys will discuss what types of court orders can be appealed, how the Iowa appeal process works, deadlines for filing an appeal and any associated paperwork, what happens after the appeal is filed, what actions the appeals court can take after hearing a case, and what happens if you lose an appeal. We’ll begin with a short overview of how the appeals process works in Iowa.

In this video, our Polk County appeals attorneys explain how there are many issues that can make litigation necessary during probate. These include:

Will contest: If a will is suspected to be invalid, it can be challenged by a trustee, beneficiary, or other interested party with legal grounds.

Guardianship contests: If guardianship wasn’t clear at the time of a testator’s death, it must be determined through probate litigation. This could refer to guardianship of an individual or an estate.

Probate claim: If a decedent passes with debt, his estate is responsible for paying them. However, the estate only has to pay for these debts if a credit makes a claim for the money while the estate is in probate. These claims must be properly filed to be validated by the court.

All cases of probate litigation require a petitioner to come forward, file a claim, and any substantial evidence. The burden of proof will always fall upon the petitioner in probate litigation.

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In this video, our Polk County appeals attorneys explain how civil cases normally fall into one of three categories: contract law (contracts and agreements between persons or businesses), family law (divorce, child custody, alimony), and tort law (property damage claims, personal injury, liability). Generally, the process of civil litigation is the same for each category, with some slight differences for family and small claims. Also, in 2015 Iowa made some dramatic changes to portions of its civil litigation process. One being its Fast Track litigation process and the other being changes in the general discovery rules for civil cases.

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