Legal Care for Elders, Their Families, and People of All Ages

Peace of mind. That's the feeling that comes from knowing that you have the right documents in place in case anything should happen to you. I can help you protect your loved ones and ensure that your wishes are carried out by providing the services described below.

Special precautions during the COVID-19 outbreak. Having our necessary documents in order is more important than ever in uncertain times, but you may be concerned about going out to a lawyer's office and meeting with multiple people. To make you feel more comfortable, I have created ways to do this legal work for you with minimal contact. We can do initial consultations and information gathering by telephone and e-mail, and when necessary we can have a virtual meeting on the easy-to-use Zoom platform. With Zoom, we can see and hear each other on our computer or smartphone screens and go over documents. We only need to have one brief face-to-face meeting to sign and notarize the documents. We can have this meeting in your home or any convenient place, and all recommended safety protocols will be observed.

Powers of Attorney and Living Wills

Well-drafted financial and medical powers of attorney are perhaps the most important life planning documents you can have. They are arguably even more important than a will, because if a person dies without a will, Colorado state law will try to distribute your property as you would have wanted.

But if a person becomes incapacitated by illness or injury and does not have durable powers of attorney allowing a trusted relative or friend to help with medical decisions and financial matters, it may be necessary to go through a lengthy and expensive guardianship or conservatorship proceeding in court.

I would be happy to help you avoid this potential problem by preparing good power of attorney documents for you at a very reasonable cost. We can also draft a "living will" (advance medical directive), so you can be sure your wishes will be respected if you ever have a medical condition that makes you unable to communicate your decisions.

Guardianships and Conservatorships

If a loved one has become unable to manage their own affairs or take care of their own personal needs and does not have a valid financial or medical power of attorney, it may be necessary to ask a court to appoint a guardian or conservator.

If you believe you need to become the guardian or conservator to help a loved one, I can help you draft all the legal documents, follow the proper procedures, and represent you in court.
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Probate

If a loved one has recently passed away, I can help you with all the details of administering the estate. Whether the person left a will or not, there are many issues to deal with, including:

• Appointment of a personal representative ("executor")
• Intestate succession if there is no will
• Identifying and managing probate assets (property passing under the will) and non-probate assets (POD bank accounts, joint tenancy transfers, beneficiary designations)
• Paying bills and dealing with creditors

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Estate Planning

I specialize in preparing affordable basic estate plans for people of modest to moderate means. A good basic estate plan should include not just a will, but should address many other issues, including:

• Strategies for passing most of your assets, including your home, car, bank accounts, and investments, outside of probate if you wish. This can usually be accomplished without having to create an expensive trust.
• Appointment of a guardian for your minor children, and protecting the property you want them to have until they reach adulthood.
• Durable general and medical powers of attorney, and advance directives for medical treatment.
• HIPAA authorization to allow your loved ones to speak with your medical care providers about you.
• Making sure your pets will be taken care of if anything happens to you.
• Documenting your wishes about what happens to your body after you die.

Special Offer: The Peace of Mind Package

The "Peace of Mind Package" includes the basic documents everyone, no matter how old, should have in case they become incapacitated, temporarily or permanently, due to injury or illness:

• General Financial Power of Attorney
• Medical Durable Power of Attorney
• Living Will
• If you have minor children, a Delegation of Parental Authority so a trusted person can take care of them if you are temporarily unable to do so

All of these documents are individually drafted and customized to reflect your wishes and circumstances, for a flat fee of just $125. This fee includes meeting with you at your home or a convenient location to discuss what these documents do and answer any questions you have, signing the documents, and free notarization! The free forms you find online might not be right for Colorado, and they may not cover all the issues you should think about. Be sure you have the right documents in place with the "Peace of Mind Package"!

A simple will can be added to this package for another reasonable flat fee. Please contact me for details.

My approach

These issues are not much fun to think about, especially when they are described as "end-of-life decisions". I prefer a more positive approach. I believe that getting the right plans in place now creates peace of mind that enhances the quality of the life we have ahead, hopefully many years.
My goal is to help you get this planning done as easily and affordably as possible. To do this:

• I am happy to make house calls, meeting you at your home, at a hospital or other health care facility if necessary, or any other location that is most convenient for you.
• I will take the time to make sure all of your concerns are addressed and the documents I prepare do exactly what you want.
• If you are in an urgent situation, for example in need of legal documents before an upcoming medical procedure, I can provide fast, efficient service.
  
• We can usually get the necessary documents done in just one or two meetings. To make things go more smoothly, I can send you a questionnaire to provide the basic information I need to draft your documents.
• Whether I prepare just a power of attorney or a full estate plan for you, I will notarize the documents at no extra charge.

News and information

My volunteer work helping low-income seniors prepare powers of attorney and living wills was recently featured in The Docket, the magazine of the Denver Bar Association. Click here to read the article:
Metro Volunteer Lawyers' Power of Attorney Clinic

​Interesting article from the New York Times on advance medical directives for dementia, which can be used to ensure a person's wishes are followed at each stage of the disease: www.nytimes.com/2018/01/19/health/dementia-advance-directive.html