Our Attorneys

A native of this area, David has lived in southeast Iowa all his life. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Iowa Wesleyan College in 1975 and from Drake Law School in 1978, where he served on the Drake Law Review Staff. He has served as President of the 8A Judicial District Bar Association; and on the District Court Judicial Nominating Commission; the Iowa Supreme Court Nominating Commission; and the Iowa Bar Association Grievance Commission. At a local level he has served on various community boards and commissions, including the Oskaloosa Municipal Housing Authority, Oskaloosa Public Library Board, YMCA Board, Mahaska County Future View, Mahaska County Board of Health, County Compensation Commission, Local Option Sales Tax Campaign for the Library renovation, and was honored as “Citizen of the Year” by the Oskaloosa Chamber of Commerce in 2007. He served as Mayor of Oskaloosa from 2005 to 2009, and is currently the City Attorney for Oskaloosa and several nearby communities. He has a number of years of trial and office experience in various matters.

Dustin is a life-long resident of New Sharon where he lives with his wife, Kate, and their two daughters. He graduated from North Mahaska High School in 2002, and Summa Cum Laude from Central College in Pella, Iowa in 2006 where he had a triple major in History, Economics, and Social Science. He received his Juris Doctor With Distinction from the University of Iowa, College of Law, in 2009. He is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association and the Mahaska County Bar Association, and has previously served as President and Treasurer. He also served on the Mahaska County United Way Board of Directors where he was President, Vice President, and Treasurer.  He served as Mayor of New Sharon from 2012 until 2018.  He was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2018 where he currently represents parts of Mahaska and Marion Counties.  He is the City Attorney for the local communities of New Sharon, Hayesville, What Cheer, Delta, Rose Hill and Beacon. Dustin has been with the Heslinga Law Firm since 2009 and has been a partner since 2012, where he has a general practice.

Nicole hails from West Des Moines, though her family is originally from both the Oskaloosa and Pella areas. Now a Pella resident, she is enjoying the opportunity to reconnect with both the Pella and Oskaloosa communities. Nicole graduated from Des Moines Christian School in 2012, and subsequently attended Cedarville University where she double-majored and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She went on to attend Drake Law School where she served as a Research Editor on the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law, and graduated with honors in May of 2020. Nicole serves as the vice president of the board for the Mahaska County YMCA, as well as serving as the president of the Mahaska County Bar Association. Nicole began her general practice with Heslinga, Dixon & Hite in 2020 and became a partner of the Heslinga Law Firm in 2024.

Randy is a lifelong resident of Oskaloosa. He graduated from Oskaloosa Senior High School in 1971, Drake University Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1974, and Drake Law School Order of The Coif and Law Review in 1978. He practiced law in Oskaloosa from 1978 to 2009, when he was appointed as a District Associate Judge. During his years practicing law, Randy was the Oskaloosa City Attorney for 15 years, represented the Oskaloosa Community School District for over 30 years, and was an active mediator. From 2009 to 2013 Randy served as an Associate District judge. In 2013, he was appointed a District Court Judge and served in that capacity until his retirement from the bench in May of 2018. Since retiring from the bench, Randy has maintained an active mediation practice.

Garold F. Heslinga entered the trial practice in 1948. He was the son of an Oskaloosa Policeman and he was a veteran of WWII. He served as the elected Mahaska County Attorney (part-time) from 1950-1956. He was a member of the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers which is limited to 250 attorneys primarily dedicated to trial practice. He was a career long member of the American Bar Association and the Iowa Bar Association as well as the Iowa and American Associations for Justice. Garold served on the State Bar Association Board of Directors and the Iowa Supreme Court Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure. His awards for community service include Citizen of the Year, William Penn University Distinguished Service Award, and numerous other citations. His experience and love of the law was shared with all his partners and many long-time clients. Garold retired from the practice of law on December 31, 2014, but continued providing valuable guidance and insight to the Heslinga Law team until his passing in 2022.