Derk Karl Schwieger holds three law degrees: a J.D. from Western New England University School of Law, an LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University School of Law, and an LL.M. in Elder Law and Estate Planning. That credential stack is unusual in any practice area; the combination of a specialized taxation graduate degree with a specialized elder law and estate planning graduate degree alongside practical experience as both a prosecutor and a public defender gives the Edina firm he founded a specific depth in how legal systems interact with financial and family outcomes. Before founding Schwieger Law Firm, PLLC, he served as a district attorney prosecuting cases in Iowa from 2000 to 2001, served as a public defender in Minnesota, and clerked at Bond, Schoeneck & King, LLP. He is also a Certified Farm Succession Coordinator through the International Farm Transition Network.
Overview
Schwieger Law Firm, PLLC operates from Suite 309 in Yorktown Office Park at 7101 York Avenue South in the Southdale neighborhood of Edina, Minnesota. The firm serves clients in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, with additional bar admissions in Iowa and Missouri.
The firm’s practice spans estate planning, elder law, Medicaid planning, business succession, tax planning, criminal defense, DWI and DUI defense, and family law. The breadth reflects the founding attorney’s background: his criminal defense practice draws on his prosecutorial experience from Iowa and his public defender work in Minnesota, and his estate planning and tax work draws on two LL.M. credentials and his background with an agricultural organization (he served as Vice President of CS-76, Inc., an agricultural organization in Dows, Iowa).
Schwieger was recognized with a Gold Seal Award from the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Domestic and Sexual Assault Outreach Center, reflecting earlier community service work connected to his prosecutorial years. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Criminal Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association.
The firm website notes that every firm employee holds multiple college degrees, reflecting an organizational standard around academic rigor that extends beyond the founding attorney.
Practice Areas
Estate Planning is the primary practice area. Plans include wills, revocable lifetime trusts, irrevocable trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, special needs trusts, lifetime gifting strategies, health care directives, and powers of attorney. The focus is on avoiding probate, minimizing estate taxes, and planning for Medical Assistance (Medicaid) qualification. The combination of LL.M.-level tax knowledge and LL.M.-level elder law knowledge means estate plans are developed with simultaneous attention to both the tax dimension and the long-term care cost dimension, which are often in tension with each other.
Elder Law and Medical Assistance (Medicaid) Planning addresses long-term care cost planning for seniors. Medicaid qualification rules in Minnesota are specific and technical, and planning that protects assets while meeting eligibility requirements requires the kind of depth that a specialized elder law LL.M. represents.
Business Succession Planning covers the transfer of business ownership in coordination with estate and tax planning. The firm’s Certified Farm Succession Coordinator certification is specifically relevant for agricultural clients navigating the complex intersection of farm real estate, equipment, operating agreements, and multi-generational family dynamics. This credential is rare among estate planning attorneys and directly addresses a planning need common in Minnesota’s agricultural communities.
Tax Planning is informed by the LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University. The firm handles estate and gift tax planning, income tax planning for trusts and estates, and related tax matters.
Probate and Estate Administration covers the Minnesota probate process for estates that require it.
Criminal Defense is handled by Schwieger personally, drawing on his prosecutorial experience. Understanding how prosecution builds cases informs defense strategy. The firm handles criminal defense in the Twin Cities area.
DWI/DUI Defense is a specific component of the criminal defense practice.
Family Law covers divorce, custody, and related domestic relations matters.
Attorney Profiles
Derk Karl Schwieger is the managing attorney and founder.
Education: J.D., Western New England University School of Law; LL.M. in Taxation, Boston University School of Law; LL.M. in Elder Law and Estate Planning.
Bar admissions: Missouri (1998); Iowa (1999); Minnesota (2001); U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota.
Career background: District attorney (prosecutor), Iowa District Court, 2000-2001. Public defender, Minnesota. Law clerk, Bond, Schoeneck & King, LLP, Overland Park, KS. Former Vice President, CS-76, Inc. (agricultural organization), Dows, Iowa.
Certifications: Certified Farm Succession Coordinator, International Farm Transition Network.
Professional roles: Member, Board of Directors, Criminal Law Section, Minnesota State Bar Association.
Notable case: Hasslen v. Hasslen, 2004 (Minnesota Court of Appeals).
Recognition: Gold Seal Award, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Certificate of Appreciation, Domestic and Sexual Assault Outreach Center.
Contact: (952) 854-2900 or cellular (651) 303-3809.
Additional attorneys are not publicly listed.
Location and Service Area
Office: 7101 York Avenue South, Suite 309, Edina, MN 55435 (Yorktown Office Park, Southdale neighborhood).
Phone: (952) 854-2900. Cellular: (651) 303-3809. Fax: (952) 854-2909.
Website: www.lawslf.com/ (also schwiegerlaw.com)
Office hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Evening and weekend appointments available by arrangement.
Service area: Edina, Minneapolis, and the surrounding Minnesota metropolitan area. Also licensed in Iowa and Missouri.
Client Focus
Schwieger Law Firm serves individuals and families with estate planning and elder law needs, seniors planning for long-term care costs, agricultural families and farm business owners requiring succession planning, criminal defense clients in Minnesota courts, and parties to family law proceedings.
The Certified Farm Succession Coordinator credential makes the firm particularly relevant for Minnesota agricultural clients, where farm succession involves intersecting issues of real estate, operating business value, family equity, and generational transfer.
Whether initial consultations are provided without charge is not publicly specified.
Languages spoken beyond English are not publicly available. Fee structures are not publicly specified.
FAQ
Why would an attorney hold both an LL.M. in Taxation and an LL.M. in Elder Law and Estate Planning?
Tax law and elder law overlap significantly in estate planning practice. Estate plans must minimize tax exposure while also anticipating long-term care costs and Medicaid eligibility rules. Holding two separate graduate law degrees in these intersecting disciplines means Derk Schwieger has formal expertise in both dimensions rather than generalized knowledge of each.
What is a Certified Farm Succession Coordinator?
The Certified Farm Succession Coordinator designation is issued by the International Farm Transition Network and reflects specialized training in agricultural succession planning. Farm succession involves unique challenges: farm real estate values, equipment, multi-generational family ownership, and business continuity all intersect in ways that differ from standard business succession. This certification is uncommon among estate planning attorneys.
Does the firm handle criminal defense in addition to estate planning?
Yes. Derk Schwieger’s background as a prosecutor in Iowa and a public defender in Minnesota informs a criminal defense practice alongside the estate planning and elder law practice.
Does the firm handle DWI and DUI cases?
Yes. DWI and DUI defense is a specific component of the firm’s criminal defense practice.
Is the firm available for evening or weekend appointments?
Yes. While standard office hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, evening and weekend appointments are available by arrangement.
Closing
Schwieger Law Firm’s Edina practice reflects an unusual accumulation of formal credentials: three law degrees, prosecutorial and public defender experience, and a farm succession certification that addresses a specific and underserved planning need for Minnesota’s agricultural communities. The combination extends the practice’s reach from standard estate planning through the agricultural succession and criminal defense matters that a more narrowly credentialed attorney could not handle within the same firm.