INDUSTRY INSIGHT
ELDER LAW
SPONSORED CONTENT
When to Call an
Elder Law and Estate
Planning Attorney
K
nowing when to call the doctor can be, quite literally, critical to
your survival. Although “Googling” a mysterious symptom may
give you interesting information (or fodder for nightmares),
there is no substitute for professional, specialized medical evaluation
and treatment.
Knowing when to call an attorney is a little trickier. Many legal
forms can be purchased online these days. A quick Internet search
will pull up endless free information about nearly any legal situation.
But self-diagnosing your legal problems can be risky. And sometimes
it leads to costly mistakes.
Elder Law and Estate Planning attorneys focus on the legal
issues that people nearing retirement age and beyond, as well as
the disabled, commonly face. As the law changes and becomes
increasingly complicated, it’s no longer true that “everyday” legal
issues, like writing your will, can be adequately handled on your own.
Sometimes family members disagree about what’s right, and many
people are misinformed about how the law applies to their personal
situation.
Some of that confusion results from the fact that state laws are very
specific about what must be included—and must not be included—
in a will, trust, financial power of attorney or living will. Additionally,
Pennsylvania is one of the few states that still imposes an inheritance
tax no matter the size of the estate. Finally, federal programs like
Medicaid and v