Background

Thomas J. Whorley has been a member of the firm since 1973.  His field of practice is general practice, including, but not limited to, estate planning, wills and probate, real estate, education law, business law, and litigation. Thomas has provided legal counsel on the behalf of K‑12 and post-secondary educational institutions for many years. He has served as Administrative Law Judge for the Iowa Department of Education. Thomas has also prosecuted School Law Cases in District Court and Iowa Supreme Court and the United States Federal District Court.

Thomas was an Assistant Iowa Attorney General from 1972 to 1973 and the Sheldon City Attorney from 1974 to 1982. He is a native of Sheldon.

Professional Organizations

• Iowa State Bar Association
• O’Brien County Bar Association, President – 1974 – 1984
• Iowa Academy of Trust and Estate Counsel
• National School Board Association (NSBA) Council of School Attorneys, 1976-Present
• Iowa Judicial Nominating Commission (Iowa Judicial District 3A) 2009 – 2014
• Iowa Council of School Board Attorneys, President –1993, Executive Board Member –9 years

Publications/​Presentations

• Iowa Association of School Boards Annual Meetings and Conferences, Presenter
• Northwest Iowa Community College, Iowa State University Department of Education,
• Adjunct Instructor: School Law Class to PhD candidates
• Author – The History of The Sheldon Community School, published 2015
• Co-Author — Images of America — Sheldon, published 2022

Special Recognition

• Martindale-Hubbell® Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers™
• Iowa Legal Aid Award – Pro-Bono Assistance, 2007
• Governor’s Volunteer Award, 1996
• Iowa State Bar Association, Community Service Award, 2002

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Practice Areas

• Agricultural Law
• Real Estate
• Estate Planning, Wills & Trusts
• Probate
• School Law

Admissions

• U.S. Supreme Court
• Iowa
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Iowa
• Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals

Education

• University of South Dakota Law School, Juris Doctor 1972
• University of South Dakota, Bachelor of Arts 1969

Community Involvement

• University of South Dakota Foundation Board of Trustees – 2006 – 2015
• Sheldon Community School District Board of Education – former President
• Sheldon Prairie Museum Board Member – 2013-Present
• Sheldon Community Library Board – former President
• Northwest Iowa Community College Foundation Board –1996 – 2005
• Northwest Iowa Health Center Hospital Board – former President
• Sheldon Community High School – Mock Trial Coach
• Village Northwest Unlimited – Board of Directors
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – Committee of Appeals