Elder Law
LIST OF ELDER LAW
PRACTICE AREAS
• Preservation/transfer of assets seeking to
avoid spousal impoverishment when a spouse
enters a nursing home
• Medicaid
• Medicare claims and appeals
• Social security, disability claims and appeals
• Supplemental and long term health insurance
issues
• Disability planning, including use of durable
powers of attorney, living trusts, living wills,
for financial management and health care
decisions, and other means of delegating
management and decision-making to another
in case of incompetency or incapacity
• Conservatorships and guardianships
• Nursing home issues including questions of
patients’ rights and nursing home quality
• Estate planning, including planning for the
management of one’s estate during life and
its disposition on death through the use of
trusts, wills and other planning documents.
• Probate
• Administration and management of trusts
and estates
• Long-term care placements in nursing home
and life care communities
• Elder abuse and fraud recovery cases
• Housing issues, including discrimination and
home equity conversions
• Age discrimination in employment
• Retirement, including public and private
retirement benefits, survivor benefits and
pension benefits
• Health law & mental health law
FINDING AN ATTORNEY
Hiring An Attorney
Do you need an Elder Law Attorney? Ask
yourself:
“Do I have the legal knowledge and resources to
resolve my legal issue by myself or do I need to
hire an Elder Law Attorney?”
If the answer is NO, then the following
questions will help you in your search. You
should first get a list of Elder Law Attorneys. If
you have family or friends that can give you a
list of references of attorney(s) they have had
good experiences with then start there. If you
need a list of Polk County Elder Attorneys, then
go to our website at www.PolkElderCare.com.
Call First - Questions to Ask
Once you have a list of one or more lawyers,
call their offices and briefly explain your
situation. You may not get to speak with the
attorney, but you should still ask the following
questions to before setting up an appointment.
• Does the lawyer have experience with your
kind of problem and how long has s/he been
practicing Elder Law?
• Does the lawyer charge for an initial
consultation and, if so, how much?
• If your problem is routine, does the lawyer
have a standard fee? What does it cover?
• If your problem appears more complicated,
ask about how fees work. Is there a standard
fee or hourly charge?
• Does the lawyer have a written document
describing fees and services provided?
Write down the information and compare
the answers you receive to other Elder Law
Attorneys. After you have reviewed your list,
call back for an appointment to interview
the attorney or attorneys whose answers
satisfied you the most. Most of these “initial
consultations” are free or provided at a nominal
cost. Go to the first interview with an open
70 www.PolkElderCare.com
/www.PolkElderCare.com
/www.PolkElderCare.com