Wills, Trusts & Estates

I prefer to handle elder law cases including litigation and estate planning.

• Annuities
• Auto Accident & Property Claims
• Bad Faith
• Health Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Property & Casualty

• Charitable Giving
• Charitable Trusts
• Drafting Trusts
• Drafting Wills
• Estate Administration
• Estate Planning
• Living Trusts
• Living Wills
• Probate
• Asset Protection
• Guardianship
• Power of Attorney
• Special Needs Trust
• Supplemental Needs Trust
• Revocable Trust & Irrevocable Trust

Family Law

I prefer to handle elder law cases including litigation and estate planning.

• Age Discrimination
• Competency Hearings
• Guardianships & Conservatorships
• Long-Term Care
• Nursing Homes
• Medicaid & Medicare Planning
• Advanced Health Care Directive
• Healthcare Power of Attorney
• Healthcare Proxy
• Nursing Home Negligence

GA, Nov 1993
Bar Number: 411823

Superior Court, Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court.

Member of the Gwinnett Bar Association; American Bar Association; Past Member American Association Nurse Attorneys; State Bar Speakers' Association; Fellow of the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia; Co-Chair of the Estate and Probate Section of the Gwinnett County Bar.

I teach continuing legal education classes and courses for my insurance license.

I published two books in 2007. One was "The Probate Process" and the second was "An Anatomy of a Guardianship."

1. In one guardianship litigation case, we prevented a son from having his parent declared incompetent. His motives were questionable.
2. In another case, we were able to terminate the guardianship since the young man improved after a horrific cycling accident.
3. In another case, we had to petition to remove a guardian who failed to properly care for the ward (her mother).
4. We recently settled a medical malpractice case for $100,000 for failure to remove a drill tip that had broken off during surgery.
5. There are many cases where I've visited hospitals, nursing homes and private residences to assist folks who would otherwise have no way to receive legal services.

1

Georgia

The firm was established in 1993. Originally, we concentrated in civil litigation and grew into an elder law practice as the needs of our community changed. We do a lot of asset protection planning, guardianships, occasional divorces and medical malpractice for our clients. In addition, we do general civil litigation and business law.

As a retired registered nurse, my firm's focus has become the protection and provision of legal expertise to Georgia's aging population. This is accomplished through consultation, litigation, estate planning, and educational seminars. Our tag lines are: "Aging is Risky Business, Don't Go it Alone" and "Commitment to Excellence in Service at an Affordable Price" and we mean it!

I worked as a registered nurse in critical care for 38 years and during the last ten of those years, I built my law practice while working at Emory University Hospital. I have spent my lifetime caring for others and I've been able to combine my medical and legal skill sets to become a more seasoned attorney.

I am the Co-Founder and Director of the non-profit Trust Associates, Inc. which provides fiduciary services for those who have need or want of an alternate executor, administrator, trustee or agent under a Financial Power of Attorney. I also serve as a pro bono attorney for various Metro Counties. I am also a licensed insurance agent in Georgia and hold a LTCP (Long Term Care Professional Certification).

Rebecca and Karen.

(770) 978-4358

Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Evenings and home visits available as needed.

No

My hourly fee is $300 for elder and estate issues. Clients can call back without being charged again for clarification on any issue we discussed. I handle a fair number of contingent cases, work for free and then take a cut. I also do flat rate packages once I see that a great deal of work must be done, such as estate packages, which include various documents. We include postage and small photocopy fees in our hourly rates. We do have associate, law clerk and paralegal fees that are lower.

My hourly fee for other types of services is $250. For our hourly cases, the ongoing client gets the first "six minutes free" as our risk management policy.

I do initial screening on the phone for every client to see if I am the right person for the case. These screenings are fairly comprehensive. I do not charge for these consultations. Only contingent cases are otherwise done for free.

Our retainer is 50% of contracted work if it is a fixed fee. Otherwise, there is an agreed-upon initial retainer if a client seeks litigation or other hourly services.