Smith & Haskell Law Firm operates from 218 E. Henry Street, Spartanburg, SC 29306, providing comprehensive elder law and wills services throughout Spartanburg, Greenville, and Upstate South Carolina. Their experienced wills attorney assists individuals and families with drafting legally binding wills that protect families, avoid unnecessary estate taxes, and carry out specific wishes regarding estates. The firm utilizes wills, trusts, life estate deeds, and other estate planning tools to help clients avoid probate costs and preserve assets for intended beneficiaries. Their approach recognizes that each client’s situation is unique, crafting documents sensitive to concerns of those with special needs children, nontraditional families, and privately held assets. Beyond basic will drafting, the firm provides elder law services including nursing home care planning, Medicaid planning, asset protection planning, managed care guidance, health care payment assistance, Medicare navigation, Social Security and retirement income planning, disability planning, and assistance with residential care options. They also help with durable powers of attorney, advance directives, and support with insurance forms, medical bills, and explanation of benefits forms. The firm stays current on federal resource changes affecting seniors, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Contact them at (864) 582-6727.
Beth Norton leads Norton Health Law from 1441 Sachem Place, Suite 2 in Charlottesville, Virginia, combining legal expertise with substantial nursing experience to provide enhanced perspective on elderly clients’ needs. Her elder law practice addresses issues seniors face as they become less able to make their own decisions, serving as a legal advocate for vulnerable individuals. The firm provides patient advocacy services, ensuring elderly clients’ healthcare concerns are heard and their medical decisions honored. Norton assists with elder housing and long-term care planning, helping clients structure estates to support sustainable care options while protecting assets. The practice addresses nursing home negligence cases involving pressure ulcers, medication errors, falls, malnutrition, and inadequate care. With extensive experience navigating the “impenetrable” Medicare and Medicaid regulations, Norton helps clients appeal denied claims and optimize estate plans within eligibility requirements. Her practice also addresses elder abuse cases involving financial exploitation, neglect, and intimidation, exploring guardianship options when necessary. The firm integrates healthcare and estate planning through comprehensive services including wills, trusts, advance directives, powers of attorney, and long-term care planning, helping clients prepare for medical eventualities while protecting their interests.
Jelks Law, located at 1615 Bailey Ave in Chattanooga, TN 37404, provides elder law services addressing the intersection of several legal areas. Their attorneys handle clients’ preparation needs for managing finances and property while planning for legal and medical decisions as they age. The firm offers estate planning, helping individuals determine how their property and assets are handled under law when they’re unable to manage affairs or pass away. For Medicaid planning, they help clients navigate eligibility and benefits, addressing the challenge of skilled nursing care costs being beyond most people’s financial reach. They assist with establishing special needs trusts to avoid scenarios where applicants forfeit assets until reaching poverty level. Through proper planning with an elder law attorney, clients can preserve life savings and protect assets. The firm also prepares advance directives for healthcare decisions, powers of attorney for legal and financial matters, and guardianships for individuals who become unable to make their own decisions. Attorneys Amanda Jelks and Leslie Starritt bring extensive experience to these areas.
Lynn St. Louis leads ELG Estate Planning at 711 W. Indiana Ave, Suite 102, Spokane, WA 99205, specializing in proactive elder law strategies to protect estates and ensure quality care without liquidating hard-earned assets. Since 2006, they have helped families across Spokane preserve assets while securing necessary care. The firm emphasizes that while not everyone will need long-term care, 70% of adults past age 65 will require these services, and 69% need approximately three years of care in their lifetime. Their comprehensive elder law services include long-term care planning covering at-home care, adult family homes, assisted living, and nursing facilities, which can cost up to $142,788 annually for a private nursing home room. They assist with Medicaid planning to help clients qualify for benefits while protecting assets, implementing Medicaid Asset Preservation Strategies (MAPS) such as Medicaid-compliant trusts, spend-down strategies, and long-term care insurance. The firm handles both advance planning and crisis situations, noting that immediate action is better than waiting when facing urgent care needs. Their elder law team includes attorneys Andrea Maroney, Zac Field, Kathy Au, and Jenni Volk. Contact them at (509) 468-0551.
Heritage Elder Law & Estate Planning, LLC operates from 318 South Main Street in Butler, PA, with additional offices throughout Pennsylvania including Erie, Franklin, Greenville, Cranberry Township, and Indiana. Their experienced elder law attorneys help clients understand options and implement sophisticated planning strategies to ensure financial preparation for the future. The firm offers comprehensive asset protection services safeguarding clients’ lifelong work from unexpected divorces, legal matters, failed businesses, and other threats. They assist with creating caregiver agreements documenting expenses and care for loved ones receiving outpatient services, and establish adult guardianships for elderly individuals no longer capable of managing their affairs independently. Their attorneys specialize in life estate deeds that protect homeownership while transferring property and obtaining medical assistance for nursing home care. The firm’s Medicaid planning services help clients qualify for benefits through asset restructuring and early inheritance strategies, emphasizing advance planning to prevent lifetime savings from rapidly diminishing. Their skilled attorneys navigate federal and state laws along with county practices to develop successful asset preservation and Medicaid planning strategies, guiding families through this multifaceted process with necessary resources and experience.
SI Elder Law LLC operates from 201 W. Main Street, Marion, Illinois 62959 (618-997-3500), led by founder Tiffanny H. Sievers, recognized across Illinois as a leader in Medicaid Planning. The firm helps clients protect assets from long-term care costs ranging from $4,000 to over $10,500 monthly in Southern Illinois, addressing situations where home care becomes insufficient due to medical needs. Their elder law attorneys specialize in safeguarding life insurance, bank funds, real estate, and other assets—even for clients currently in rehabilitation, nursing homes, or assisted living facilities. They navigate the complex 5-year look-back period, maximizing Long-Term Care Medicaid benefits while dispelling common misconceptions about estate planning timelines. Tiffanny Sievers, a past-president of The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Illinois Chapter, stays current with constantly changing Medicaid regulations, has led lobbying efforts for favorable senior laws, coaches other attorneys, and regularly speaks about Medicaid planning best practices. The firm offers free consultations to assess assets, explain available benefits, and craft personalized plans designed to save clients the most money.
Curran Estate & Elder Law, PLLC practices from 1212 Liggett Ave., Reading, PA 19611, focusing on asset protection for professionals and business owners. Asset protection planning involves making prudent decisions today to protect yourself, your business, and hard-earned assets from loss due to lawsuits, creditors, or bankruptcies. Attorney Sean D. Curran recognizes this planning as especially prudent for professionals and business owners whose personal assets could be at risk due to the nature of their employment. The firm acknowledges the staggering number of divorces, lawsuits, and bankruptcies that can cause wealth created through a lifetime of work to be lost overnight if these forms of man-made lightning strike. To protect clients’ assets from such disasters, they provide proper risk management strategies including exempting assets from creditors’ claims, limiting liability through legal entities, and transferring risk through insurance. During asset protection planning, the attorneys take time to help clients understand both the risks they have retained and the risks they have transferred, ensuring optimal protection strategies are implemented for each unique situation.
Elder Needs Law, PLLC provides essential legal services for seniors facing complex financial, medical, and personal issues in Boynton Beach. Founded by Jason Neufeld, author of “The Florida Medicaid Planning Book,” the firm excels in Medicaid planning and application assistance for long-term care. Their elder law attorneys understand the vulnerability of aging individuals and offer expertise in multiple areas including estate planning, long-term care planning, asset protection, probate, and guardianship matters. They assist clients with eligibility for Medicaid benefits while protecting assets through strategic legal approaches. The firm distinguishes between traditional estate planning and elder law, noting that elder law focuses on aspects unique to aging clients like medical advanced directives and power of attorney documents that have immediate impact on an elder’s life. With offices throughout Florida including Aventura, Plantation, Boca Raton, and Spring Hill, the firm ensures comprehensive legal protection for seniors. Their approach emphasizes careful planning before health begins affecting daily life.
Fleming & Curti, PLC at 1745 E River Rd. #101, Tucson, AZ 85718 provides expert elder law services including recent advocacy for voting rights of individuals under guardianship in Arizona. Their attorneys, including Robert Fleming, recently supported a landmark appellate case establishing that persons under guardianship have due process rights before losing voting privileges. The case changed Arizona’s approach, shifting the burden of proof to those seeking to restrict voting rights rather than requiring individuals to prove their capacity to vote. The firm explains that historically, Arizona’s Constitution prohibited those under guardianship from voting, but this recent decision ensures that restrictions must now be proven necessary by clear and convincing evidence. Beyond voting rights advocacy, the firm handles guardianships, conservatorships, estate planning, probate, and Medicaid planning. Their team includes attorneys Robert Fleming, Elizabeth Friman, Amy Matheson, and Matthew Mansour, each bringing specialized expertise in areas like fiduciary services, trust administration, and advocacy for vulnerable populations. Clients can reach them at (520) 622-0400.
The Farr Law Firm at 10640 Main Street, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22030 specializes in elder law asset protection, with particular emphasis on advance directives. Under the leadership of Certified Elder Law Attorney Evan Farr, the firm educates clients about the critical importance of having proper advance directives in place before capacity issues arise. These legal documents allow individuals to maintain control over healthcare decisions even when they can no longer communicate their wishes. The firm helps clients understand and prepare various advance directives including living wills (outlining medical preferences), healthcare powers of attorney (designating healthcare decision makers), HIPAA authorizations (permitting information sharing), and advance care plans (detailing end-of-life preferences). They emphasize that without these documents, medical providers may make unwanted interventions or family members might need to pursue costly guardianship proceedings. The firm advocates for regular review and updating of advance directives to reflect changing circumstances and preferences, ensuring they remain valid and effective. For comprehensive advance directive assistance, contact the Farr Law Firm at 703-691-1888.
