Introduction

Mike Burgett describes himself as a One Hat Attorney. At Burgett Law Firm, PLLC, located at 510 Austin Avenue, Suite 25337, Waco, TX 76701, that phrase carries specific meaning: he practices elder law and estate planning, and he practices nothing else. With more than 20 years of experience in that single field, he has built a practice depth that generalist attorneys cannot replicate, and clients who call (254) 218-6288 reach an attorney whose entire professional career has been spent solving the legal problems that seniors and their families encounter.

The firm addresses a problem with serious financial stakes. Nursing home care can cost families their life savings unless someone who understands Medicaid planning intervenes before or at the point of crisis. Attorney Burgett has developed both pre-planning and crisis planning approaches to Medicaid qualification that help seniors access care while preserving what they have built over a lifetime. That focus defines what the firm does and for whom it does it.

Practice Areas

Burgett Law Firm, PLLC operates exclusively within elder law and estate planning. Every client matter falls within one of these categories.

Estate Planning – Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, and the full range of documents that protect a person and their assets during life and transfer wealth at death according to the client plan.

Medicaid Planning – Pre-Planning – For clients who are not yet facing an immediate nursing home need, the firm structures assets and legal arrangements in advance so that if nursing care becomes necessary, qualification for Medicaid assistance is achievable without sacrificing all accumulated savings.

Medicaid Planning – Crisis Planning – When a senior faces an immediate nursing care need, crisis planning addresses Medicaid qualification strategies that protect assets even with little lead time. This is among the most consequential legal work the firm does, because the cost of nursing care without Medicaid assistance can rapidly exhaust a family’s financial resources.

Nursing Home Abuse – The firm handles cases involving harm to nursing home residents, including pressure sores (bedsores), medication errors, falls and resulting fractures, malnutrition, and dehydration. These injuries reflect failures of care that have legal remedies.

Special Needs Planning – Legal planning for families with disabled members, including trusts and structures that preserve eligibility for public benefits while providing support.

Elder Financial Exploitation – The firm addresses legal responses to financial exploitation of elderly clients, a form of abuse that often comes from within the family or from trusted advisors.

Wandering and Elopement Prevention – Legal guidance related to the responsibilities of care facilities regarding residents who may wander or attempt to leave unsafely.

Attorney Profiles

Mike Burgett is the founder and sole attorney at the firm, with over 20 years of experience in elder law and estate planning. His self-description as a One Hat Attorney is a statement of professional philosophy: depth over breadth. He does not handle personal injury, family law, criminal defense, or business litigation. The narrow focus means that when a client calls about Medicaid planning or nursing home abuse, the attorney who answers has spent two decades solving exactly those problems.

His approach to Medicaid planning encompasses both the planning that happens years before care is needed and the crisis response that happens when care becomes immediately necessary. The goal in both cases is the same: help the client receive the care they need without exhausting the financial resources they have spent their lives accumulating.

The firm has not publicized bar committee memberships or organizational affiliations in the available record.

Location and Service Area

Burgett Law Firm, PLLC is located at 510 Austin Avenue, Suite 25337, Waco, TX 76701.

Phone: (254) 218-6288

The firm serves Waco and surrounding areas in Central Texas. Clients who require elder law and estate planning representation in the Waco area reach Mike Burgett directly.

More information: burgettlawfirm.com/

Client Focus

The firm serves seniors and their families. The problems that bring clients through the door are specific: a parent needs nursing care and the family does not know how to pay for it without losing everything; an elderly person shows signs of financial exploitation; estate documents are out of date or non-existent; a nursing facility has failed a resident.

Each of these is a situation where the wrong advice – or no advice – has lasting consequences. Mike Burgett has structured a practice that addresses all of them from a single point of contact, without the generalist limitations that arise when an attorney splits attention across multiple practice areas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a One Hat Attorney?
Attorney Burgett uses this term to describe his exclusive focus on elder law and estate planning. Unlike attorneys who handle multiple practice areas, he concentrates all of his time and knowledge on elder law issues, providing specialized experience rather than general legal services.

What is the difference between pre-planning and crisis planning for Medicaid?
Pre-planning is structured when a client is not yet facing immediate nursing care needs – it arranges assets and legal structures in advance to support future Medicaid eligibility. Crisis planning addresses the situation when nursing care is immediately necessary, and the goal is protecting as many assets as possible while qualifying for Medicaid assistance under time pressure.

Does the firm handle nursing home abuse cases?
Yes. The firm addresses cases involving bedsores, medication errors, falls, fractures, malnutrition, and dehydration in nursing facility settings.

Does the firm handle special needs planning?
Yes. Planning for families with disabled members, including benefit-preserving trust structures, is within the firm practice.

How do I reach the firm?
Call (254) 218-6288. The office is at 510 Austin Avenue, Suite 25337, Waco, TX 76701. More information: burgettlawfirm.com/

Closing

Twenty years of practice limited to a single field produces the kind of familiarity with case patterns, legal strategies, and regulatory frameworks that broad general practice cannot replicate. Mike Burgett at Burgett Law Firm, PLLC has built that depth specifically in elder law – the area where the financial stakes of a single legal decision can determine whether a senior enters retirement with assets preserved or not. For families in the Waco area facing nursing care costs, estate planning needs, or nursing home abuse situations, this focused practice offers experienced, specialized counsel.

Burgett Law Firm, PLLC: 510 Austin Avenue, Suite 25337, Waco, TX 76701. Phone: (254) 218-6288. More information: burgettlawfirm.com/