Description:
About Us:Dougherty, Molenda, Solfest, Hills & Bauer P.A. is a well-established south-metro firm providing big-firm capabilities with small-firm accessibility. We're celebrating our 40th Anniversary next year! From our Apple Valley office, we serve clients across Minnesota with responsive, high-value representation.
Job Summary:
We're seeking an associate with 3–5+ years of focused experience in estate planning and probate to join a collaborative team that handles everything from foundational plans (wills, POAs, health care directives) to complex trust work and contested probate matters. You'll manage your own files with partner support, meet directly with clients, and help refine our client-friendly processes.
What You'll Do:
- Conduct initial client meetings, gather facts, and recommend planning options.
- Draft wills, trusts, POAs, health care directives, deeds, and related documents.
- Administer estates and trusts; prepare pleadings and filings for probate and trust matters.
- Handle contested issues (as experience allows): will contests, fiduciary disputes, accounting issues.
- Communicate clearly with clients, opposing counsel, and courts; manage deadlines and billing.
- Contribute to practice development (articles, seminars, client education).
What you bring:
- 3–5+ years of experience in estate planning and probate (Minnesota practice preferred).
- Strong drafting skills; comfort with client counseling and option-framing.
- Familiarity with Minnesota probate procedures and trust administration.
- Excellent organization, attention to detail, and follow-through.
- Active Minnesota bar license.
Nice to Have:
- Contested probate/trust litigation exposure.
- Real estate/title experience for funding and non-probate transfers.
- Elder law/guardianship-conservatorship experience.
Compensation & Benefits:
- Competitive compensation commensurate with experience.
- Comprehensive benefits package and CLE/bar dues support.
- Direct client contact, and meaningful responsibility.
- Free parking, south-metro convenience; collaborative team culture.
How to Apply:
Apply with:
- Resume
- Brief cover letter describing relevant experience and client-facing strengths
- 1 writing sample (estate-planning or probate related, de-identified)
Compensation: $100,000.00 - $130,000.00 per year
About Us:
Growing With the South Metro for Nearly 40 Years
Our
home is Dakota County, the fastest growing county in Minnesota. It
continues to grow and expand, adding homes and businesses each year.
Highway 42 and Cedar Avenue were once a quiet two-lane intersection
surrounded by cornfields, not all that long ago. Now, the same
intersection is one of the largest in the Twin Cities metro area, with 7
lanes meeting 9 lanes in Apple Valley. Apple Valley is minutes from the
Mall of America and home to the Minnesota Zoo. From offices in the
heart of Apple Valley (located in the national headquarters of Wings
Financial, Minnesota's largest credit union), Dougherty, Molenda,
Solfest, Hills & Bauer P.A. has been providing exceptional legal
representation to clients throughout the Twin Cities and the State of
Minnesota since 1986.
Our lawyers have traveled around the country, representing clients where client needs take them. Taking depositions in Rhode Island? We've done that. Winning a case in federal court in Ohio? We've done that too. Arguing, and winning, in Washington D.C.? We've done that. But Minnesota is home. The south metro continues to expand, with Rosemount continuing its growth as the new Maple Grove of the metro area. And our firm is right here to witness the growth, and to provide legal representation to clients in Dakota County, around the metro area, and throughout the State of Minnesota.
With over two dozen full-time employees, including attorneys and support staff, our firm provides the experience and capabilities of a large law firm, with more than 100 years of collective legal experience. We provide it with the personal service, value and attention that clients expect in a small-firm environment.
