Dean Allen Fankhauser

Attorney Dean Fankhauser was raised in Chadron, Nebraska and is the son of former business owners who still reside in Chadron today. After graduating from Chadron State College, Dean studied at The University of South Dakota School of Law and graduated in 2014 with a Juris Doctor.

While in law school, Dean had many great experiences, including advancing to the Elite 8 of the Sam Masten Appellate Advocacy Competition and completing an internship at the Federal Public Defender’s office in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Dean moved to the Siouxland Community after law school and shortly began working as an associate attorney. From there, Dean opened his own practice called Fankhauser, Farrens & Rachel, PLC, who merged with Vriezelaar, Tigges, Edgington, Bottaro, Boden & Lessmann Law Firm in 2021 – starting a business venture with endless opportunities. Dean is licensed to practice law in the United States Federal Court for the Northern District of Iowa, as well as Iowa and Nebraska state courts. Dean’s areas of practice include all types of business and tax matters (such as corporations, nonprofit corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, acquisitions, sales, mergers, contracts, succession planning, dissolutions, financing, and licensing); real estate property matters (such as title opinions, title insurance, title guarantee, foreclosures, deeds, sales, acquisitions, condominium transactions, purchase agreements, contracts, leases, options, easements, restrictive covenants, construction liens, landlord-tenant, evictions, subdivision, and zoning and board of adjustment items); estate planning (such as wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, small estates, complex estates, estate tax, and inheritance tax); probate; and guardianships/conservatorships.

In Dean’s free time (when he has some), you will probably find him spending time with close friends or visiting family.

Civic Leadership

• Children’s Museum of Siouxland (now LaunchPad), Volunteer (2014-2015)

• Foodbank of Siouxland, Volunteer (2019)

• Sioux City Community School District Foundation, Sponsor

• Iowa Legal Aid Volunteer Lawyers Project

Awards & Recognitions

• Best Lawyers®: Best Law Firms (Metropolitan Tier 2 – Sioux City – Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs) (2023)

• Best Lawyers®: Best Law Firms (Metropolitan Tier 2 – Sioux City –Trusts & Estates Law) (2023)

• Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch in AmericaTM (Real Estate Law) (2023)

• Best Lawyers®: Top-Listed City Awards (Total Lawyers in Sioux City: 5 lawyers) (2023)

• Best Lawyers®: Best Law Firms (Metropolitan Tier 2 – Sioux City – Trusts & Estates Law) (2022)

• Best Lawyers®: Top-Listed City Awards (Total Lawyers in Sioux City: 4 lawyers) (2022)

Memberships

• Iowa State Bar Association (2014-present)

• Nebraska State Bar Association (2016-present)

• Woodbury County Bar Association

• Iowa Lawyer Trust Association