Aside from estate planning, we offer a range of services that include probate and trust administration, wealth protection planning, long term care planning, Medicaid advisement, veteran’s aid and attendance, special needs consulting, and guardianship oversight. With decades of experience in the industry, we’re uniquely qualified to provide the elder care legal services you need to enjoy the aging process worry-free. It’s our job to make every client that steps through our doors feel at peace – and our extensive list of elder law and estate law services helps us do just that.
Estate Planning
Ask any elder law attorney for some of the most common questions they hear from clients, and they will probably mention “How do I plan my estate?” as one of the top three. Simply put, the process of estate planning can be a long and arduous one, and many individuals turn to experienced attorneys to help them piece together everything they need to designate a beneficiary of their estate after death. Here at The Elderlaw Firm, we don’t just provide the paperwork and send our clients on their way. Instead, we help devise a plan that allows our clients to save the most money, pay the least amount of taxes on property (including generation skipping transfer tax, income tax, estate tax, and more), and even designate a beneficiary for minors. Estate planning is perhaps the biggest tool in the toolbox of an individual entering their second half of life with substantial assets, and we treat it as such – holding asset protection and minimal expenditures on your behalf in high regard.
Probate & Trust Administration
Probate is a legal process that involves determining the distribution of assets upon the death of the asset holder – and it can be incredibly in-depth and confusing for family members and friends that are likely still mourning the loss of their loved one. As probate and trust administrators, our job is to clear the confusion and provide our clients with clear details on what to expect from the probate process, how to understand their responsibilities, and what next steps to take. Any and every question that a client may have about the probate process, or the trust itself is fielded by one of our knowledgeable attorneys or team members, and we even provide additional information and resources through our numerous online and printed educational channels.
Wealth Protection Planning
Wealth protection planning is all about helping our clients figure out the best course of action to take in order to preserve the wealth and assets they spent so much time and effort accumulating. This includes legal counsel on financial and legal vehicles to store assets, steps to take to ensure assets don’t depreciate in value due to some unforeseen occurrence, and best practices based on our years of experience in the field.
Long Term Care & Medicaid Planning
Many people don’t understand the intricacies of Long term care and the Medicaid system, and it can unfortunately deplete resources and finances when it doesn’t have to – particularly when it comes to nursing home care. We provide legal services that put clients in the drivers’ seats of their loved ones’ long term care, and provide practical tips and solutions for making Medicaid work for their unique situations.
Veteran’s Aid & Attendance
Veterans benefits, among other things, can help men and women that have served in our armed forces pay for the assistance they may need in everyday functioning as they get older. If eligible, veteran’s aid and attendance can be a great, sustainable way to offset many of the costs that come with age – though many people don’t even know about it! Our elder law and estate planning attorneys help make the most of this offer for clients that qualify.
Special Needs
Elder legal matters that involve a special needs client or a special needs trust don’t have to be tricky with an experienced, knowledgeable elder law attorney on your side! We know the ins and outs of the provisions that have been made for special needs cases here in North Carolina, and we’ve got the resources to help our clients take full advantage of them.
Guardianship
We provide legal advice and legal representation for all aspects of the guardianship process, and even offer educational materials related to navigating the entire ordeal. While many have come to view the guardianship process ad laborious and uncertain, our team of specialists makes applying for guardianship easy, efficient, and effective.
What makes our services different?
At The Elderlaw Firm, we are a law practice that prides itself on providing the tools and resources that families need in order to make the best decisions for their future. As one of North Carolina’s leading elder law and estate planning firms, our legal services are both robust and comprehensive, and they are designed to cater to a wide array of needs. When it comes to elder law, estate planning, and legal issues involving elders, many people have trouble deciding on a right direction. Our experienced elder law lawyers help make that decision and process easy!
Elder law and estate planning are complicated subjects that require professional expertise. As specialists in the industry, our elder law attorneys don’t just know these unique aspects of law – they study them every day. Where many law practices merely offer estate planning and elder law services as an offshoot of their primary specialties (often in an effort to make more money or to appeal to a wider range of people), we focus solely on these services – and, thusly, the quality of the work we provide for our clients far surpasses that of our counterparts. Additionally, we’ve remained a local law office for all these years, choosing to hone our collective skill sets in not just one area of law, but in one region. We know the unique aspects of elder law and estate planning as they pertain to North Carolina residents, and have helped many families save money and make good use of laws and policies exclusive to North Carolinians.
