Elder Law
Comprehensive legal guidance for the second half of life — care, capacity, and protection of what you've built.
Elder law is a specialized practice that helps older adults and their families plan for the legal, financial, and care decisions that arise with aging. It coordinates estate planning, long-term care funding, Medicaid eligibility, guardianship, and advocacy across health and housing systems.
Recognize yourself in any of these?
A parent's diagnosis has changed the conversation.
A new diagnosis of dementia, Parkinson's, or a serious illness means the family suddenly has decisions to make about care, finances, and authority — often without a roadmap.
You hold a Power of Attorney and don't know what to do with it.
An adult child has been named, signed something at the kitchen table years ago, and now needs to actually act. We help you do it right and protect yourself in the process.
Your parent is still independent — and you want to keep it that way.
The strongest elder-law work happens before a crisis. We help families put structures in place while parents are healthy enough to participate fully in their own planning.
The work, named honestly.
- —Powers of attorney, health care proxies, and advance directives
- —Guardianship and conservatorship petitions
- —Care contracts and family caregiver agreements
- —Coordination with geriatric care managers, financial advisors, and physicians
- —Crisis planning when a hospital discharge requires immediate decisions
An approach, not a transaction.
Most elder-law clients work with us as Guidance Program members — an ongoing relationship rather than a single engagement. The first step is always a 15-minute call to understand the situation before recommending anything.
About the Guidance ProgramFrequently asked questions about elder law.
What's the difference between elder law and estate planning?+
Estate planning is about what happens after you're gone — wills, trusts, transfer of assets. Elder law is about what happens while you're still here — care decisions, Medicaid, capacity, and protecting an aging person's autonomy and dignity. The two overlap, but a good elder-law plan often pulls in tools an estate-planning attorney wouldn't reach for.
When should we hire an elder-law attorney?+
Earlier than most families think. The most useful elder-law work happens while a parent is still healthy and able to participate. Once a crisis hits — a stroke, a fall, a sudden hospitalization — your options narrow significantly. If you're starting to ask the question, it's time.
Do we need an elder-law attorney if we already have a financial advisor?+
Yes, and a good one will work with your advisor rather than replace them. Financial advisors manage assets; elder-law attorneys design the legal structures those assets live inside. Medicaid planning, in particular, is something most advisors aren't trained to handle.
How much does it cost?+
It depends on what's needed. A single document like a power of attorney is a few hundred dollars. A full elder-law plan with trust funding and Medicaid pre-planning is several thousand. Guidance Program memberships start in the low thousands per year and scale based on family complexity. We give you a flat fee before any work starts.
Let's figure out the next step together.
A 15-minute call is free. There's no obligation, and there's no sales pitch.
Schedule the call