Shawna
Schamberger

“My teaching background offers me the ability to meet clients where they are. I can tailor my communication and advice to my clients.”

It was a fortuitous coincidence at a difficult time. When the matriarch of Shawna Schamberger’s family passed away, Shawna was taking a wills and trusts course in law school. “The importance and significance of having somebody navigating the legal process for a family became very apparent,” Shawna says.

 

That experience was a springboard to her practice in coordinating and developing estate plans. Her practice includes working on wills, powers of attorney, and revocable trusts. She also aids in post-death administration probate matters.

 

“I enjoy the long-term relationships that come from assisting clients as they navigate one of the most difficult times of their life, the passing of a family member,” Shawna says. “I want to help them feel they have somebody in their corner, that everything is going to be done with an attention to detail and a high level of care.”

 

Down-to-earth and detail-oriented, Shawna approaches each client as the unique individual they are. “Every contract, every estate plan, and every probate administration is unique and involves an element of humanity,” she says. “I have yet to have one client who is the same as someone else.”

 

One of her goals is to tailor-make each estate plan to leverage the value the client has generated. She works to set up a plan to disperse assets in a way that effects the client’s desired impact on their family and community. “There are so many options available to clients,” she says. “I enjoy the challenge, and I also enjoy helping people.” She strives to ensure clients know she’s working in their best interest.

 

As a child, Shawna always wanted to be a teacher or an attorney. She ended up doing both. As an assistant registrar, Shawna discovered her affinity for educational compliance work. It inspired her to go to law school.

 

Now, in her estate planning practice, she applies the skills she learned as an educator in her client work. “I get to use my education degree a lot in what I do as a probate attorney,” she says. “I’m often explaining the probate process to my estate planning clients, so they understand how to make and develop their estate plans for their desired outcome.”

 

That also means finding the comfort zone for clients whose estate planning and probate knowledge can vary. “It’s my favorite part of my job, making sure that I am able to accommodate and harness the experience and strengths of clients to help them get where they need to go,” Shawna says.

 

An Iowa native, Shawna wants to make a difference in the place she calls home. “I love Iowans, and I want to help my community,” she says. “We’re rooted in Iowa. My husband and I travel a lot, but this is our home base. This is where we want to have the biggest impact.”

Edwin Moore Oral Argument Competition

Semifinalist

 

Janet Reynoldson Scholarship

 

International Academy of Trial Lawyers

 

Dean’s List

Cedar Rapids Women for Good

            Founding Member and Leader

 

The Freedom Foundation of Cedar Rapids

 

Kids First Iowa, 2018–2019

 

Alzheimer’s Association

 

Zach Johnson Foundation, Kids on Course, 2016

 

Upper Midwest Association of Collegiate Registrar and Admission Officers

Chair, Technology and Communications

Co-chair, Program Committee

 

 

OVERVIEW

It was a fortuitous coincidence at a difficult time. When the matriarch of Shawna Schamberger’s family passed away, Shawna was taking a wills and trusts course in law school. “The importance and significance of having somebody navigating the legal process for a family became very apparent,” Shawna says.

 

That experience was a springboard to her practice in coordinating and developing estate plans. Her practice includes working on wills, powers of attorney, and revocable trusts. She also aids in post-death administration probate matters.

 

“I enjoy the long-term relationships that come from assisting clients as they navigate one of the most difficult times of their life, the passing of a family member,” Shawna says. “I want to help them feel they have somebody in their corner, that everything is going to be done with an attention to detail and a high level of care.”

 

Down-to-earth and detail-oriented, Shawna approaches each client as the unique individual they are. “Every contract, every estate plan, and every probate administration is unique and involves an element of humanity,” she says. “I have yet to have one client who is the same as someone else.”

 

One of her goals is to tailor-make each estate plan to leverage the value the client has generated. She works to set up a plan to disperse assets in a way that effects the client’s desired impact on their family and community. “There are so many options available to clients,” she says. “I enjoy the challenge, and I also enjoy helping people.” She strives to ensure clients know she’s working in their best interest.

 

As a child, Shawna always wanted to be a teacher or an attorney. She ended up doing both. As an assistant registrar, Shawna discovered her affinity for educational compliance work. It inspired her to go to law school.

 

Now, in her estate planning practice, she applies the skills she learned as an educator in her client work. “I get to use my education degree a lot in what I do as a probate attorney,” she says. “I’m often explaining the probate process to my estate planning clients, so they understand how to make and develop their estate plans for their desired outcome.”

 

That also means finding the comfort zone for clients whose estate planning and probate knowledge can vary. “It’s my favorite part of my job, making sure that I am able to accommodate and harness the experience and strengths of clients to help them get where they need to go,” Shawna says.

 

An Iowa native, Shawna wants to make a difference in the place she calls home. “I love Iowans, and I want to help my community,” she says. “We’re rooted in Iowa. My husband and I travel a lot, but this is our home base. This is where we want to have the biggest impact.”

RECOGNITION

Edwin Moore Oral Argument Competition

Semifinalist

 

Janet Reynoldson Scholarship

 

International Academy of Trial Lawyers

 

Dean’s List

PROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS

Cedar Rapids Women for Good

            Founding Member and Leader

 

The Freedom Foundation of Cedar Rapids

 

Kids First Iowa, 2018–2019

 

Alzheimer’s Association

 

Zach Johnson Foundation, Kids on Course, 2016

 

Upper Midwest Association of Collegiate Registrar and Admission Officers

Chair, Technology and Communications

Co-chair, Program Committee