Try: One of the best ways to find an attorney is through a personal recommendation from a friend relative or co-worker or from another attorney whom you know and trust a good way to get a personal recommendation is to attend a caregiver support group another good place to get a recommendation is through the local area agencies on aging another way of locating an attorney is through the local bar association in your community after describing your needs you will be referred to the most appropriate specialist initial consultations generally include a nominal fee be sure to check the qualifications of an attorney and to make calls to compare fees and experience also keep in mind that laws vary from state to state types of attorneys most attorneys concentrate on one or two areas of law some attorneys are certified specialists for example an attorney can be a certified specialist in taxation estate planning probate or elder law it is especially important for a caregiver to find an attorney who has the appropriate expertise attorneys advising caregivers on planning for long-term care should have knowledge of the following areas of law medicaid laws and regulations social security trusts special needs trusts conservatorships durable power of attorney for health care and asset management tax income estate and gift planning housing and health care contracts attorneys often do not know about all of the above-mentioned areas in the case of a personal injury two attorneys may be needed, one to litigate an accident settlement and another to help plan for long-term financial or health care needs preparing for a legal consultation before contacting an attorney a caregiver may find it useful to familiarize him or herself with areas of the law related to the situation for example caregivers who are interested in the durable power of attorney for health care should think about what type of life-sustaining procedures they would want used in the case of a serious illness in addition it may be helpful to identify a first second and third choice of a family member or a trusted friend to make personal health care and financial decisions in the event the care recipient isn’t able to do this items to bring to the consultation list of major assets real estate stocks cash jewelry insurance etc any documents of title e g copies of deeds stock certificates loan papers etc which show who the owners are and how title is held contracts or other legally binding documents lists of all major debts existing wills or durable powers of attorney bank statements passbooks cds showing who the owners are and how title is held resources for finding an attorney family caregiver alliance american bar association aba national association of area agencies on aging national academy of elder law attorneys national health lawyers association national senior citizens law center information references "finding an attorney" by family caregiver alliance available at
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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial, Legal
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Keywords: Attorney legal advice power of attorney estate planning health care directive trusts
*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed