Todd Buchanan

Ben has a business-focused practice specializing in the areas of banking and financial services, commercial finance, real estate and corporate law. He advises a wide array of clients in all phases of institutional lending, including loan structuring, negotiating and drafting credit transaction documentation. Additionally, he regularly advises commercial lenders and borrowers with regard to judicial and non-judicial foreclosure proceedings, UCC enforcement, bankruptcy, and has extensive experi...

Robert D. Houghton is an Attorney and Senior Vice President at S&I whose work focuses on litigation, primarily medical malpractice defense and products liability. Bob is listed in the Best Lawyers in America in Medical Malpractice Law and Product Liability Litigation. Bob is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers, is a Master in the Dean Mason Ladd Inns of Court, and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Defense Research...

D. Brian Scieszinski is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Workers' Compensation Law - Employers. D. Brian practices law in Des Moines, Iowa Best Lawyers has recognized D. Brian Scieszinski since 2020. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which D. Brian Scieszinski is held by other lawyers.

Clarifying complexities and approaching litigation from common ground. That’s Mollie Pawlosky’s foundation for building client relationships. “Clients don’t let their passions dictate their business decisions,” Mollie explains. “It’s my goal to ensure clients don’t let their passions dictate their decisions during litigation.” Through her commercial litigation practice, Mollie walks clients through complex litigation such as commercial for...

Don Johnson is an Attorney and Vice President at S&I. Don has a general practice including but not limited to estate planning and estate administration (including will preparation, trust preparation and probate administration), taxation (including tax return preparation and general consulting), and general business matters (including the establishment of corporate entities and contract drafting). Don is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the Iowa Society of Certified Publ...

Todd was born in Storm Lake, Iowa and he has been a resident of the Des Moines area for approximately 40 years. Todd maintains his litigation practice in the areas of transportation, products liability, commercial, premises liability, legal malpractice and property rights. Todd has received defense verdicts in courtrooms throughout all parts of Iowa. Todd is recognized as a leader in Iowa in the defense of railroads and trucking companies. He is one of the only few railroad litigators whose o...

Melissa Schilling represents public and private sector employers in labor and employment matters. In that role, she has successfully represented clients in state and federal cases involving a broad range of labor and employment laws, including Title VII, the American with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Melissa also has extensive experience investigating and handling matters filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and related...

L. Lars Hulsebus is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Lars, who practices law in Des Moines, Iowa, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lars is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area. At Dickinson Bradshaw, Lars advocates for clients in high-stakes disputes of all kinds. Over more than a decade as a civil liti...

Jack is an elected member of the American College of Trial Lawyers. For more than 35 years his practice has focused on the defense of hundreds of civil cases in areas including: product liability, automobile liability, wrongful death, aircraft crash liability, defamation, premises liability, professional liability, drug and device liability, employment law, commercial liability and trustee and fiduciary liability. This exposure has resulted in more than 100 civil jury trials throughout the St...

Tricia L. Hoffman-Simanek is an Attorney and Senior Vice President at Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, P.L.C. Her legal work focuses on the area of litigation, which includes but is not limited to, professional malpractice, long term care litigation, insurance defense, and other health law litigation. Tricia also provides advice and representation on HIPAA compliance, training, and investigations, professional licensure matters, and risk management. She has achieved an “AV” rating wi...