myGPS

Estate planning and elder law typically practice in law firms or nonprofit organizations. They help clients plan for future life events, educate them about options, and draft documents implementing their choices.

• Elder law attorneys focus on helping senior citizens with legal issues ranging from estate planning, conservatorships, and government benefits planning, to elder abuse, evictions, and power-of-attorney issues.

• Estate planning lawyers help clients establish trusts, wills, and lifetime transfer plans. Individual plans should also cover other concerns such as asset management, protection from creditors, planning for family members with special needs, disability planning, and/or long term care needs.

• Estate planning lawyers may also advise trustees or representatives regarding how to make distributions according to the terms of the will and trust documents.
• Estate planning and elder law attorneys must be very knowledgeable about the complex statutes, administrative regulations, and case law governing estate and gift tax, wills, trusts, property law, and probate court practice.