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Our Lawyers
Corey T. Denevan
Lawyer & CEO
Corey was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. However, he began his professional career on the West Coast in Seattle, Washington. He was an assistant vice president and trust officer with one of the nation’s largest financial institutions. Corey transitioned to the practice of law at Hertog & Coster, PLLC where he focused on estate planning, probate administration and the representation of non-professional fiduciaries and professional fiduciaries, such as banks, trust companies and guardianship agencies.
GET TO KNOW COREY
Early Years
in his Career
Corey joined Aiken, St. Louis & Siljeg, P.S. as a shareholder, where he continued to manage complex trust, estate and guardianship matters, but also expanded his practice into business planning and succession, real estate transactions, creditor rights and commercial litigation. Corey also served as a court-appointed trustee and personal representative in complex and contentious cases.

Corey was a longstanding member of the Washington State Bar Association’s Real Property & Probate Section and Guardianship and Elder Law Section, as well the King County Bar Association’s Real Property & Probate Section and Elder Law Section. Corey served two terms on the executive committee of the King County Bar Association’s Elder Law Section.

In 2005, Corey was nominated and served as the chair of a committee with judges and court commissioners to draft forms to be used by guardians and trustees to report on their fiduciary activities. In 2012, Corey was nominated and served as co-chair of the Washington State Bar Association’s task force to revise the Uniform Durable Power of Attorney Act to reduce the financial exploitation of vulnerable and elderly persons.
After twelve years on the West Coast, Corey and his wife returned to Sioux Falls to be closer to their families. Upon returning to Sioux Falls, Corey served as an adjunct professor at a local university teaching employment law.

Corey joined Boyce Law Firm, LLP in 2013 and as a partner at the firm he focused on trust litigation representing fiduciaries, beneficiaries, and entities owned by trusts both nationally and internationally. He also continues a small estate planning practice and represents family members in guardianship and conservator proceedings. Corey is a frequent presenter at continuing legal education seminars for lawyers. Corey has been a presenter at over 50 seminars in Washington, California, South Dakota, Iowa, Ohio, Florida, Toronto and London. Corey has also been involved in legislative activities.

In 2020, Corey chased a long-held ambition to start his own business and opened Denevan Law Prof. LLC. In late 2022 and early 2023, Shannon and Meghann joined forces with Corey and Denevan Falon Joyce was born. Corey continues to focus on trust and estate litigation, administration and planning as well guardianships, conservatorships, and business litigation.
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FIELD OF FOCUS
Mediator
Expertise
During his time at the University of Missouri – Columbia School of Law, each course Corey took had a component aimed at developing skills in negotiation, mediation, arbitration and problem solving, which sparked his passion for alternative dispute resolution. A majority of the cases that he has been involved in over the last seventeen years involved mandatory mediation and a few cases required arbitration. Corey is adept at and fond of the process of mediation and arbitration. The subject matter of most of his cases, and the cases he has been called to mediate are as follows:
  • Will Contests
  • Durable Powers of Attorney
  • Trusts
  • Estate, Gift and Income Tax Issues
  • Probate Administration
  • Elder Abuse and Neglect
  • Guardianship
  • Fiduciary Duties
  • Inter-family Disputes
  • Partnership and Corporate Governance
  • Contractual Matters
The skills necessary to successfully mediate a case do not always require an expertise in a particular field of law. Mediation is more about developing an understanding the interests of the parties and finding opportunities for resolution.

While Corey has litigated numerous cases through trial and appeal, his most gratifying work has been in the area of alternative dispute resolution. Serving as a mediator or representing a client in mediation and creating a forum for the parties to control and craft their own resolution is very gratifying. Corey has witnessed how the mediation process can provide a catharsis for clients resulting in a better outcome that is not necessarily achievable through traditional litigation. He has also found that arbitration can provide a more expedient, efficient, cost effective means of resolving a dispute in private.
Educational
Background
01 | Augustana University
Sioux Falls, South Dakota (BA Biology, 1996)
Academic Scholarship Recipient
Athletic Scholarship Recipient Football, NCAA Div. II
02 | University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri (JD 2000)
Opal A. Carlson Academic Scholarship
CALI Legal Excellence for the Future Award – Secured Transactions
Accommodation for Excellence in Agricultural Law
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Professional
Associations
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  • South Dakota Bar Association
  • Second Circuit Bar Association
  • Washington Bar Association
  • King County Bar Association
  • United States District Court
    Western District of Washington
  • United States District
    Court of South Dakota
  • Wealth Counsel
  • International Fraud Group
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Recognitions
& Awards
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OTHER WORKS
Publications &
Presentations
  • 2023 IFG Toronto Cryptocurrency Update United States Perspective
  • 2021 IFG London Trusts and Fraudulent Transfer Laws
  • 2021 Ohio State Bar Association Asset Protection Cleopatra Cameron Case
  • 2018 South Dakota Bar Association The Law of Inherited Stock
  • 2017 NBI Trusts From A to Z “Ethical Considerations for Lawyers in Trust Matters”
  • 2017 NBI Trusts From A to Z “Special Needs Trusts”
  • 2016 NBI Estate Administration From Start to Finish: “Handling Estate Administration Tax Issues”
  • 2016 NBI Estate Administration From Start to Finish: “Distribution and Closing of the Estate”
  • 2015 NBI Trusts 101: “Estate Planning for the Disabled Client”
  • 2015 NBI Trusts 101: “Ethical Considerations for Lawyers”
  • 2012 Washington State Bar Association: Legislative Committee
    “Presentation of Revisions to Uniform Durable Power of Attorney Act”
  • 2012 Washington State Bar Association: Paralegal Studies Seminar “New Changes to Washington Trust Act”
  • 2012 Washington State Bar Association: RPPT Mid-Year Meeting “Revising the Uniform Durable Power of Attorney Act: Balancing Individual Autonomy and Protection from Financial Abuse”
  • 2011 Title 11 Guardianship Guardian ad Litem Training “Less Restrictive Alternatives to Guardianship”
  • 2011 King County Bar Association: Advanced Issues in Fiduciary Law: “Current Developments in Fiduciary Law”
  • 2011 NBI Probate and Estate Administration: “Ethical Challenges in Estate Administration”
  • 2011 Washington State Bar Association: Avoiding Elder Law Malpractice “Client Representation and Fee Agreements”
  • 2011 Washington State Bar Association: “New Changes to Washington Trust Act”
  • 2010 King County Bar Association: Advanced Guardianship Issues “Payment of DSHS/DDD Guardian and Attorneys Fees” Co-presented with Washington Attorney General’s Office
  • 2009 National Business Institute: Sophisticated Probate Strategies “Procedural Updates” and “Preventing and Litigating Probate Disputes”
  • 2009 Washington Association of Professional Guardians: “Payment of Guardian’s Fees and Costs from DSHS”
  • 2008 King County Bar Association: Guardianship and Elder Law Section: “Bankruptcy and Guardianships: What You Need to Know”
  • 2008 National Business Institute: Oddities and Challenges in Probate Law: “Probate Litigation” and “Solutions to Special Issues”
  • 2006, 2007 & 2008 Title 11 Guardianship Guardian ad Litem Training: “Less Restrictive Alternatives to Guardianship”
  • 2007 Washington State Professional Guardian Certification Training: “Guardian of the Estate Issues”
  • 2007 Half Moon LLC, Continuing Education: Washington Estate Planning and Probate Practice for Paralegals: “Assisting in the Administration of the Probate Process”
  • 2006 NBI The Probate Process from Start to Finish: “Litigating the Case in Probate Court” 2005
  • 2005 Washington State Professional Guardian Certification Training: “Prudent Investor Rule”
  • 2004 Washington State Bar Association Establishing, Managing and Terminating the Special Needs Trust: “Termination of Special Needs Trusts”
  • 2003 National Business Institute: “Drafting and Managing Special Needs Trusts”
  • 2003 King County Bar Association Advanced Minor Settlements Guardian ad Litem Program: “Presentation on Special Needs Trusts”
  • 2002 Wells Fargo Bank Seminars on Estate Planning and Special Needs Trusts
  • 2002 Orange County Bar Association (California) Trustee Panel Discussion: “Management of Special Needs Trusts”.
  • 2002 Presentation to Iowa Trial Lawyers: “Drafting and Managing Special Needs Trusts."
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2023 Martindale-Hubbell Award
Corey Denevan
Highest Possible Rating in Both Legal & Ethical Standards
The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings have been an integral part of Martindale-Hubbel's services to the legal community since 1887. The Peer Review Rating process which evaluates lawyers in the United States and Canada is solely based on peer review.
The AV Preeminent Rating is the pinnacle of professional excellence earned through a strenuous Peer Review Rating process that is managed and monitored by the world's most trusted legal resource, Martindale-Hubbel.
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Best Lawyers Recognition Badge
Shannon R. Falon
Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication company in the legal profession
Recognition by Best Lawyers is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred on a lawyer by their peers. For more than four decades, our publications have earned the respect of the profession, the media and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals anywhere.
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Meghann M. Joyce
The AV Preeminent Rating is the pinnacle of professional excellence earned through a strenuous Peer Review Rating process that is managed and monitored by the world's most trusted legal resource, Martindale-Hubbel.
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Erin N. Ballard
The AV Preeminent Rating is the pinnacle of professional excellence earned through a strenuous Peer Review Rating process that is managed and monitored by the world's most trusted legal resource, Martindale-Hubbel.
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TESTIMONIALS
Our Clients
Success Stories
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Shannon is Smart, Committed, Dedicated to her craft, and Responsive – Hard to get a better combination than that.

Client

I have had the opportunity to work closely with Ms. Falon, as a corporate representative,  on a multi-year bad faith case involving a large regional insurance carrier. Ms. Falon is very detail oriented, but yet understands the big picture of our lawsuit. Ms. Falon has a very pleasant personality and has been a pleasure to work with.

Client

In my parents’ final years, I found myself dealing with a sibling who had stopped talking to me and was exerting influence over our parents. I needed help protecting my aging parents, my visitation with my parents, the management of their estates, and the administration of their estate plan. With the assistance of the lawyers at Denevan Falon Joyce, I was able to continue my relationship with my parents, provide input into their care, obtain information about their estates, protect their estate planning, and make sure their estate was distributed according to their wishes.

Client

I just can’t say enough good things about this firm. Corey, Shannon and Meghann were exceptional! Our case was more than just a case to them. They were so dedicated and actually cared so much about what happened to us! Their dedication was outstanding! They were there when we needed them and we were treated with respect and so much kindness ! I highly recommend them and would definitely give them 5 stars ! I will always be thankful that they were recommended to us and took our case .

Client