How to Choose the Right Elder Care Attorney: Key Questions to Ask

There is likely more than you think to choosing the right elder care attorney.

Have you ever thought about an Elder Care Attorney? With more than 29 areas of legal specialties, there are lawyers for everything. Some of the most popular television shows for decades have featured criminal attorneys. You probably know about, though may have never needed, a criminal attorney, tax attorney, bankruptcy attorney, or international law attorney. If you own a business, you likely have an attorney who specializes in business or corporate law. And with the divorce rate so high, you probably know someone who could recommend a Family Law Attorney.

One area of specialty that you may never have heard of is Elder Care Law. And you’re not alone. Most people don’t know about what an Elder Care Attorney is…

I find it ironic since this area of law is one that virtually every adult 18 and older should know about and would be best served by knowing how to choose an Elder Care Attorney. As the name suggests, an Elder Care Law Attorney defines their practice not by the kinds of legal problems they handle, but by the type of people they help.

With any luck, you will get to experience life as an elder. And, with thoughtful planning provided with an experienced and reputable Elder Care Attorney, your elder years should be a time of comfort and safety.

What Elder Care Attorneys Do

Elder Care Law attorneys focus on the legal issues that affect older people and their families. We help with a variety of areas including: Estate planning; Asset protection; Obtaining government benefits; Health care decision making; Planning for retirement; Disability planning; Home care; Assisted living; Nursing home care; Veterans benefits; Financial and healthcare powers of attorney; Living wills; Pre-need guardian declarations, and more.

Working with an Elder Care Attorney offers the whole family several advantages.

First, Elder Care Attorneys have experience communicating with and working with elder clients and their families on interrelated legal and non-legal issues. Second, Elder Care Attorneys have working knowledge of the professional and community resources, both public and private, that are available. Third, a reputable Elder Care Attorney has the expertise to prevent and solve problems in the following areas:

Paying for Health and Long-term Care: Planning for and assisting with obtaining Medicaid, Medicare, and veterans benefits for those living at home or in an assisted living or nursing home.
Insurance: Counseling and representation concerning health, medigap, long-term care, prescription, disability, and life.
Planning for Disability: Advice and drafting of financial and health care powers of attorney and living wills.
Fiduciary Representation: Seeking the appointment of and advising guardians, conservators, trustees, executors, representative payees, and those acting under powers of attorney.
Legal Capacity Counseling: Advising how capacity is evaluated and the level of capacity required for decision-making and representing those who are the subject of guardianship or other protective care.
Elder Abuse: Preventing and remedying abuse, neglect, and financial misappropriation
Retirement Planning: Maximizing Social Security, pension, IRA, 401(k), 403(b), and retiree health benefits.
Housing: Counseling concerning continuing care retirement communities, assisted living facilities, home equity conversion, and living with family members or other loved ones.
Residents Rights Advocacy: Counseling and representation concerning admission contracts, quality of care, and transfer and discharge from facilities.
Estate Planning: Wills and trusts and minimizing estate and income taxes on IRAs, 401(k)s, and 403(b)s.

Many attorneys say they practice elder law. Here are questions that will help you find an experienced and reputable Elder Care attorney for your specific circumstances.

Tips And Questions When Looking To Hire An Elder Care Attorney

Specialization: Look for an attorney who specializes in Elder Care Law and Medicaid planning. Some Elder Care attorneys have a specific focus within the field, such as Medicaid and VA planning.

Experience: Ask about the attorney’s experience in Elder Care Law and how long they’ve been practicing.

Fees: Ask about the fee for the initial meeting and subsequent meetings, as well as how the attorney bills clients.

Board certification: Ask if the attorney is board-certified in elder and Special Needs Law.

Warnings or sanctions: Ask if the attorney has any warnings, reprimands, disbarments, or sanctions against them.

Referrals: Ask family, friends, or trusted professionals for a referral.

Consider the attorney’s communication, responsiveness, and respect.

As an established Elder Care Attorney, I help maximize the independence and quality of life of elders. Planning for this stage of life can begin at any age and in my opinion, the sooner the better. If you are interested in helping your family best utilize and protect your life savings while also making sure that you receive whatever help and care you may need in ways that best utilize all available resources, yours and whatever government resources you can, give my office a call at (470) 235-7868 today. Let’s discuss how we can help you and your family.

Looking to find an experienced estate lawyer in the Georgia area who is skilled in asset protection and estate plan preparation? Shannon Pawley is an attorney in Georgia with expertise in estate planning and asset protection. Shannon can provide assistance with creating an estate plan to include making a will and how to establish a trust properly. If you have questions about asset protection or questions about making an estate plan, reach out to Shannon and she will be glad to help answer all the estate planning questions you might have!

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18:55 17 Dec 23

We had excellent service from Shannon and her team, they are true professionals and helped us and explained every step in the process. We highly recommend The Estate and Asset Protection Law Firm.

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15:22 07 Jul 23

My father and I recently used the estate, an asset protection, law, firm for new wheels, new, power of attorney’s, and a creation of a trust. Brooke and her entire team could not have been more helpful and more professional! We loved working with them, and they took everything seriously therefore I didn’t have to worry about a thing. I highly recommend everyone at the law firm.

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01:22 01 Jul 23

Great firm. Had answers to all our questions and explained everything clearly. Never felt rushed to make a decision Could not ask for a better experience. Every one we dealt with was professional and knowledgeable. We highly recommend this firm for estate planning.

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21:30 28 Jun 23

Shannon provided invaluable information regarding a family estate matter. Although her firm did not quite fit our immediate needs, the consultation was informative and extremely HELPFUL! Shannon clearly explained what our next steps should be and offered to assist if we had any questions along the way. Her expertise and willingness to help puts her in a league of her own!

Alice Guppy

02:01 23 Jan 23

Shannon and everyone at The Estate and Asset Protection Law Firm are professional, very knowledgeable, and a pleasure to work with. They answered all our questions in great detail and the plan they developed for us is exactly what we need to protect our assets and estate as we age especially with my husband's health issues.

Lynn McKibbin-Moore

23:09 24 Feb 22

My husband has dementia. This firm has been patient, kind and professional while we went through a move from a house of 37 years in to a condo to be closer to my daughter and her husband. (Miami to Atlanta). There was also a wedding. All in 6 months.We now have a trust, power of attorney. Wills for my daughter and her husband and more. All at a fair price. I could not recommend higher.

Tammy Lee

22:03 29 Jan 22

Shannon Pawley and her team are exceptional at helping families navigate tough situations. We began working with her upon finding out my father had Stage 4 kidney cancer. His decline was more rapid than expected.Attorney Pawley and her entire team expedited paperwork that allowed me to focus on my father’s care, make decisions that suddenly needed to be made for him medically and financially, and has allowed me the ability to focus more on grieving and less on legal matters upon his passing.It is obvious she is knowledgeable about the best ways to navigate estates to protect the assets for the owners and their loved ones. It is just as obvious that she is passionate and has true heart for what her clients go through.We will be using her for own estate needs, and I recommend her expertise to everybody I can.This service is worth every penny we paid as it has saved us more money and time than I could imagine.

H Jessie Brewer

18:26 18 Nov 21

Attorney Shannon Pawley and paralegal Alexis McCoy are legal professionals that my wife and I highly recommend. Their grasp of the Georgia law pertaining to Medicaid assistance and the interworking's of the State department is exceptional. Additionally, their client-attorney relationship skills are excellent. We wouldn't hesitate to use this law firm again should the need arise.

Dawn Hardy

15:06 13 Nov 21

Shannon and her team are the best! They listened to my needs and provided the best advice. They are patient and professional as well as personable, they didn't make me feel like I was just another client. Highly recommend!