We have employed Matt’s services for estate planning and probate services for both my husband’s and my family. He has patiently and clearly explained the processes to us so we could make a fully informed decision. When problems arose (caused by another probate lawyer) he was willing to explain this situation and eventually take over the case. We think he is a lawyer that can be relied upon and trusted to act in our best interests
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Caitlin Durst
Very helpful and professional! Matt never rushed me, even when I had several questions and made me feel very secure in my decisions. Will be going back for future help. Thanks Matt!
Review Left On 02/28/2020
MD Anderson
Matthew Gardner invoked needless a "bypass" trust allowing my father to die without new portability permanent law provisions. Then he filed trust own land into county probate, left one investment out of the trust causing probate after assuring my parents the trust would stop probate. Then he ignored Winnebago probate court billings for years and only in crisis mode did he file and remove the land from probate records.
Then, he created a deed for my mother's condo in Forest City, Iowa to put it in the trust. He created a fraudulent instrument by not stating clearly, mind you at all, that the condo had a large mortgage against it. Worse, he failed to correct the deed before her death stating legally it DID have liens against it. Only when after my mother died, and he was fired, did that condo deed problem end when it was sold and the mortgage lien was paid off.
More than a year after my father died in April 2012, Gardner wrongly created the irrevocable bypass trust needlessly on an estate not even close to ever being hit with the federal estate death tax. Then when he and his employing Trustees set up bank accounts, they went ahead and declared my mother's share of the land and money, (survivor's trust) was also to be listed and registered with Manufacturer's Bank in Forest City Iowa was also irrevocable, thus infringing on her separate property rights, civil rights and right to have the choice to do what she wanted with the entire estate upon my father's death. Only when she died in March 2016, was that bypass trust legally and rightfully a "irrevocable" trust.
All this gross negligence on my family performed and billed heavily by Gardner were told to him by me and he refused until his termination to ever correct any of his errors, omissions, or worse, illegal acts. Hire him at your own farm families risk!
Mr. Gardner's response fails to face the fact that having a law degree and an Iowa license to practice law doesn't shield him from his incompetence and illegal acts performed on my parent's trust estates. A lawsuit is pending and state bar complaints are being filed.
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Then, he created a deed for my mother's condo in Forest City, Iowa to put it in the trust. He created a fraudulent instrument by not stating clearly, mind you at all, that the condo had a large mortgage against it. Worse, he failed to correct the deed before her death stating legally it DID have liens against it. Only when after my mother died, and he was fired, did that condo deed problem end when it was sold and the mortgage lien was paid off.
More than a year after my father died in April 2012, Gardner wrongly created the irrevocable bypass trust needlessly on an estate not even close to ever being hit with the federal estate death tax. Then when he and his employing Trustees set up bank accounts, they went ahead and declared my mother's share of the land and money, (survivor's trust) was also to be listed and registered with Manufacturer's Bank in Forest City Iowa was also irrevocable, thus infringing on her separate property rights, civil rights and right to have the choice to do what she wanted with the entire estate upon my father's death. Only when she died in March 2016, was that bypass trust legally and rightfully a "irrevocable" trust.
All this gross negligence on my family performed and billed heavily by Gardner were told to him by me and he refused until his termination to ever correct any of his errors, omissions, or worse, illegal acts. Hire him at your own farm families risk!
Mr. Gardner's response fails to face the fact that having a law degree and an Iowa license to practice law doesn't shield him from his incompetence and illegal acts performed on my parent's trust estates. A lawsuit is pending and state bar complaints are being filed.