06 Nov New Article From South Florida Business Journal
“If you don’t like people, you can’t be an elder law attorney,” says Leonard Mondschein, immediate past chairman of the Elder Law Section of the Florida Bar.
He notes his field is “its own area of law, with its own regulations,” and that the regulations applying to it also are constantly changing.
Some say the practice of elder law is sometimes a misunderstood area of expertise within the legal profession, due to the diversity of topics and clientele involved.
Arlene Lakin, co-chair of the Broward County Bar Association Elder Law Section, said attorneys in the field help their clients with everything from veterans’ benefits and standard estate planning to wills and trusts, receiving public benefits and helping to overcome the difficulties of paying for long-term care.
Even within the discipline of elder law, though, attorneys often become experts on different subsets of the law.
Mondschein said his Miami-based firm, the Elder Law Center of Mondschein and Mondschein, P.A., routinely practices in the areas of probation and guardianship, estate planning, veterans’ benefits and special needs trusts, but noted that his biggest area is planning for long-term care, with emphases on both crisis and pre-crisis planning.
Another lawyer, Michael Connors, whose firm is based in North Palm Beach, focuses much of his practice on resolving incapacity and guardianship issues.
Connors describes elder law as “a practice area comprised of traditional areas of law, gathered together with a focus on the needs of the elderly population and their family members.”
Although the assistance they provide is for the benefit of others, many in the field have personal reasons for what they do.
– Premium content from South Florida Business Journal by Jay Waitkus
Click HERE to see the article: Elder Law Experts Are Becoming Key to Seniors’ Decision-Making