An elder law attorney will help with the conferring of tax-free and charitable gifts and minimizing your estate. Your elder law attorney can also help you understand emerging laws and changes in medicine that might affect your estate decisions.
Finding the right assistance when your loved one is injured or neglected in a long term care home can be challenging. A great elder law attorney may be the best help you can ask for because they know all the ins and outs that will get you the results you need for them.
Rather than being defined by technical and legal distinctions, Elder Law is defined by the specific clients who are to be served. The attorney who practices Elder Law works primarily with people as they age and has a detailed and specialized knowledge of relevant laws.
When a court makes a finding of “incompetency” or “incapacity,” it means that a person is unable to act on his or her own behalf. Often, states or jurisdictions will have a “sound mind” requirement before a will can be drawn up. A court cannot make a finding of incompetency or incapacity without the professional opinion of a physician.
An elder law specialist can help you with many of the unexpected issues that can happen due to age- from abuse in a long term care facility to planning how you can ensure that your own wishes will be honored if you cannot speak for yourself.
If you’ll be undergoing major surgery, you may be questioning whether you’ll be able to make medical decisions as you recover. Drawing up a healthcare power of attorney can allow you to appoint a proxy to make your decisions for as long as you need.
A survey in 2012 found that 41 percent of Baby Boomers (people between 48 and 66 years old in 2012) had wills. For Americans under 34 years of age, that figure shot up to 71 percent. The only way to be certain your estate is divided up the way you want is by leaving a will.
Do you have a loved one living in a nursing facility? You need to keep a careful eye on their welfare, especially if they struggle to communicate. If you suspect anything amiss, an elder law attorney can help you take appropriate actions.
Elder law attorneys can have expertise in powers of attorney. This area provides a person with the ability to make medical or financial decisions on another person’s behalf. This is critical if you want specific situations handled in specific ways.
You may be able to lower your estate tax liability by taking advantage of gift tax exemptions while you are still alive. We will make sure you don't give away more than the maximum allowed in a lifetime - a figure that changes from year to year.
Unfortunately, wealth has a way of bringing out the worst of even good people. When you want to avoid bickering over assets after you're gone, we can act as your executor to ensure your final wishes are fulfilled down to the letter.
Estate planning involves the accurate preparation of legal documents necessary to pass on an estate to one’s heirs. Typically, this will involve the preparation of a will or a trust agreement. The goal of estate planning is to avoid estate tax (and probate) and to ensure that the estate goes, without incident or complication, to the rightful person or persons.
While you may have a decent nest egg for you and your spouse to live on, things can change quickly if one of you requires nursing home care. When you aren’t sure how to structure things to make your money last, an elder law attorney can help.
If you are trying to arrange administration of your estate, we can help. We are able to help administer all tangible property and litigate any issues that might occur amongst family members or with the government and/or IRS.
Are you afraid of what would happen if you were suddenly to need long term care? It can be financially devastating to many families, so proper planning may be absolutely essential. A good elder law attorney can help you determine the best course of action to help.
We understand that not all of our clients are willing to give up their independence of living at home as they age. Let us help you identify services available to make that a continued possibility.
