Liane Zeitz, CELA, has practiced elder and disability law planning, estate planning, MassHealth and probate for over thirty years from her Waltham, Massachusetts office at 330 Bear Hill Road, Suite 201. As a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation—the only national organization accredited by the American Bar Association to certify attorneys in elder law—Zeitz brings specialized expertise to her clients’ complex legal needs. Before establishing her solo practice, she worked in elder law units at Greater Boston Legal Services and the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts. Selected to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list multiple times between 2013 and 2022, Zeitz remains active in the Massachusetts chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, where she served as a board member and committee co-chair. Her extensive experience includes presentations on Medicaid planning, nursing home residents’ rights, incapacity planning, guardianship, and conservatorship. Zeitz participated in Attorney General’s task forces on guardianship statute revision and long-term care consumer protection regulations. Contact her office at 781-326-5005.
Elder Law Attorneys
Fleming and Curti, PLC, a Tucson elder law firm, shares insights on protecting inheritances through proper trust construction. Their article examines a Utah Supreme Court case where Herschel West, after his wife Hazel’s death, transferred their home from their living trust to joint tenancy with his second wife, effectively disinheriting their children who were named as ultimate beneficiaries. The court ruled that since the children weren’t yet beneficiaries when Mr. West signed the deed (as they would only receive property after both parents’ deaths), he had no duty to protect their potential interest. Located at 1745 E River Rd, Suite 101 in Tucson, Arizona, Fleming & Curti emphasizes that couples wishing to guarantee property goes to children regardless of remarriage must explicitly include provisions preventing trust amendment after the first death and requiring children’s approval for asset transfers. Their attorneys, including Robert Fleming, a Fellow of both the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, help families create ironclad protections that prevent poor draftsmanship from undermining inheritance intentions. Contact them at 520-622-0400.
elder-law.com/surviving-spouse-revokes-trust-children-disinherite…
Van Dyck Law Group specializes in long-term care planning at their offices in Princeton and Bridgewater, New Jersey. Led by attorneys Fiona Van Dyck and Shikha Patel, the firm helps clients protect assets from the exorbitant costs of long-term care, which can easily exhaust a household’s savings without proper planning. Their experienced New Jersey Medicaid attorneys guide clients through establishing eligibility for Medicaid benefits that cover nursing home care, assisted living, and in-home support services. With skilled nursing care averaging $90,000 annually in New Jersey, the firm creates comprehensive asset protection plans that help clients qualify for Medicaid without spending down all their assets first. They assist with gathering necessary documentation to prove eligibility to the New Jersey Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services. Covered benefits include care management, home modifications, meals, respite services, personal emergency response systems, mental health services, and various levels of residential care. For a confidential consultation about long-term care planning options, contact them at (609) 293-2621.
vandyckfirm.com/new-jersey-elder-law/long-term-care-planning/
Robert L. Lambert, Jr., P.C., based in Valdosta, GA at 108 E. North Street, offers specialized legal services for seniors and their families throughout South Georgia. Their unique law practice employs a comprehensive team of professional attorneys, elder care coordinators, registered nurses, and public benefit specialists to address every aspect of elder care. The firm focuses on elder-centered planning rather than asset-centered approaches, concentrating on seniors’ needs and desires while still providing thorough estate, Medicaid, and asset protection strategies. Their Life Care Plan aims to accomplish four specific goals: keeping clients out of institutional care whenever possible, finding suitable housing when home care isn’t viable, planning for advanced age and limited mobility to prevent financial depletion, and ensuring clients never become burdens to their loved ones. Lambert’s approach extends beyond traditional estate planning that simply determines property distribution after death, instead focusing on “planning for the journey” with comprehensive preparation for every aspect of aging. The firm serves clients from multiple locations in Georgia and Texas. For a consultation on elder law matters, contact them at (229) 292-8989.
RAO Legal Group, LLC operates from offices in Princeton, NJ (14 Farber Road) and New York, NY (358 Fifth Ave), specializing in elder law services that require in-depth analysis of available private and public resources to finance long-term care costs. The firm assists clients with both pre-planning when relatively healthy and navigating the complex Medicaid application process when care is imminent. Their approach combines strategic legal expertise with patience, understanding, and compassion—essential qualities when helping families through anxiety-laden transitions where elderly loved ones fear loss of control. The attorneys work closely with families to qualify quickly for private and public benefits, guiding them through the maze of Medicaid planning considerations. Their comprehensive services address immediate care needs while preserving assets and dignity for the elderly client. Whether planning well in advance or responding to an urgent situation, RAO Legal Group offers supportive guidance through every stage of the elder care journey. Contact their Princeton office at (609) 372-2855.
Henry A. Carpenter II founded Bucks County Elder Law at Makefield Executive Quarters, 301 Oxford Valley Rd, Suite 101B, Yardley, PA 19067. This Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) oversees an experienced team including a Care Advocate, Benefits Specialist, Estates Paralegal, and Client Services Coordinator to provide holistic elder law services. Their collaborative approach creates customized, comprehensive plans addressing life’s inevitable changes for seniors. Practice areas include life care planning, elder law, Medicaid planning, estate planning, asset protection, guardianship, and special needs planning. The firm helps clients prepare for changing financial circumstances, healthcare needs, and navigate complex laws governing taxes, asset protection, and Medicaid eligibility. With over 30 years of experience helping families plan for life’s changes, they treat clients like family while preparing them for whatever the future may hold. Clients consistently praise their professionalism, knowledge, clear communication, and excellent documentation. For consultations, call (215) 493-0727 or (888) 378-8200.
Swendson Hentz Law Ltd., operating from 1300 Summit Avenue, Suite 202 in Oconomowoc, WI 53066, specializes in long-term care planning for elderly clients. Attorneys William Swendson, Joe Hentz, and Kim Griffith help seniors develop comprehensive plans by explaining available Medicare benefits, reviewing Title 19 payment eligibility, and exploring long-term care insurance options. The firm assists clients with goals like remaining in their homes as long as possible, transitioning to assisted living while avoiding nursing homes, and creating contingency plans when one spouse requires long-term care. They emphasize that planning early yields better results, providing expertise in Medicaid planning to help structure financial resources and prepare documentation for program acceptance. The firm also creates Special Needs Trusts through Wispact, Life Navigators, or independently, enabling elderly individuals to maintain eligibility for Medicaid while accessing additional resources for extra care, clothing, diapers, and other necessities beyond what Medicaid covers. Their services extend to guardianship arrangements and elder abuse protection for at-risk individuals.
Located at 7051 Steubenville Pike, Suite 7 in Oakdale, PA, Pecori Elder Law specializes in protecting families from the devastating financial impact of long-term care costs. With nursing home expenses averaging $10,038 per month in Pennsylvania, the firm focuses on safeguarding homes, savings, and assets while helping clients qualify for essential benefits. Attorney Pecori debunks the common misconception that qualifying for Medicaid requires spending down all assets, offering strategic legal solutions including Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts, spend-down planning, long-term care planning, and crisis Medicaid planning for those already in nursing facilities. The firm shares cautionary tales like Mary’s story – a widow who lost nearly everything by transferring assets without proper guidance. Through personalized consultations and comprehensive planning services, Pecori Elder Law helps families navigate Medicaid’s five-year look-back period, protect assets from nursing home costs, and avoid burdening loved ones with difficult financial decisions. Their approach ensures clients receive needed care without losing everything they’ve worked for their entire lives.
Shann M. Chaudhry leads the elder law team at Shann M. Chaudhry Esq., Attorney at Law, PLLC, serving Houston from their office at 14100 San Pedro Ave, Suite #210, San Antonio, TX 78232. Their compassionate attorneys help clients navigate the rising costs of nursing homes, living facilities, and at-home care while protecting assets and planning for the future. The firm specializes in long-term care planning that encompasses health care decisions, asset protection strategies, trust creation, life estates, disability planning, and reviewing care facility contracts. They offer specialized services including special needs trusts (both self-funded and third-party-funded), Miller Trusts for qualifying for Medicaid while receiving Social Security benefits, Lady Bird Deeds for property transfers with retained rights, and sophisticated Medicaid planning that navigates the 60-month lookback period. For clients whose assets surpass Medicaid thresholds, they create Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts that effectively shield assets while maintaining eligibility. Contact them at (210) 646-9400 to discuss elder law services with attorneys who prioritize compassion and provide straightforward guidance through the benefits planning process.
From his Schaumburg office at 975 E Nerge Rd., Suite W100E in Roselle, IL, attorney Edward D. Siebert of Village Law Offices LLC offers personalized elder law services to clients in Chicago’s northwestern suburbs. With over a decade of experience in estate planning and elder law, Siebert helps clients navigate the challenges of aging and long-term care planning. His practice addresses the growing concern of financing long-term residential care, noting that approximately half of all people turning 65 will need such care for an average of two years at costs ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 annually. The firm creates asset protection trusts to safeguard savings that might otherwise be exhausted by nursing home expenses. Their elder law services include assistance with Medicaid qualification while preserving assets for surviving spouses and heirs. Attorney Siebert establishes powers of attorney for clients while they remain mentally competent, helping families avoid court-supervised guardianship proceedings. Serving communities including Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Itasca, Mount Prospect, Palatine, and Roselle, the firm offers a one-hour general consultation and document review for $150.00.