Areas of Practice

Elder Law

Shapiro Elder Law offers a comprehensive set of services covering all aspects of planning for the future, or when dealing with a crisis.

Medicaid (MassHealth) and Long-Term Care Planning

The MassHealth program pays for nursing home care for those who qualify and in some instances, for assisted living and care at home. The rules are complicated and ever-changing, and the application process can be overwhelming. We guide seniors and their families through this process of obtaining the care and benefits to which they are entitled, while helping to protect their savings.  We are able to help through advance planning, when clients are in good health, and when there isn’t time to plan in advance – for those who have just been diagnosed with an illness, who may be hospitalized, in a nursing home, or want to stay at home, and benefits are need to help with the costs of care.

Estate Planning Documents for Your Family

We make sure you have all of the documents you need, but want to be certain our clients understand what they need, and what they don’t need.  Most importantly, we assure that the documents you choose to have meet your wishes.  We discuss with our clients Wills, Trusts, Durable Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies and Living Wills, and help you decide what will work best for you.

Wills and Trusts

We have years of experience in finding the best solutions for each family situation, and will help you determine what will help you to achieve your goals, whether your goals involve asset protection, tax minimization, probate avoidance or assuring a loved one with special needs is provided for in the future.  Once your estate plan is finalized, we will ensure that all necessary documents are properly executed.

Health Care Proxies and Living Wills

Modern medicine provides many miracles, but we all might face difficult issues regarding when to use extraordinary measures to prolong life. We will help you ensure that your wishes, or those of a loved one, are carried out.

Durable Powers of Attorney

In the difficult — but all too common - situation where a loved one becomes incapacitated, it is absolutely crucial for a trusted family member or friend to have the legal status to help with financial matters.  A Durable Power of Attorney is one of the most important documents you can have to avoid having to involve the courts your affairs.   In many cases, Powers of Attorney drafted by non-elder law attorneys do not contain the language necessary to maximize opportunities for asset protection in the event you need long-term care.  Our clients can feel confident that in the event they become incapacitated, whether temporarily or permanently, the person they have chosen to act on their behalf has the proper authority to help them through this difficult time.

Special Needs Planning

Parents and grandparents of children or grandchildren with special needs face many issues.  One of the most important things you can do today is to create an estate plan for tomorrow.  We work with parents and grandparents of those with special needs to ensure that the care and support they provide will be carried forward after the parents and grandparents are gone. We will help establish special needs and supplemental needs trusts to manage assets and preserve public benefits, guiding families through the intricate maze of federal and state programs for disabled family members.

We work with our clients to help them understand the planning process, which may include naming guardians, creating trusts, choosing trustees, finding care providers and arranging housing.  We tailor each plan to meet the needs of the child with special needs, and the wishes of the family members who care for them.

Guardianship and Conservatorship

There are times when a circumstances with an aging parent or incapacitated family member become difficult, and it may be to everyone's benefit to set up a legal Guardianship or Conservatorship that will allow the family to make decisions concerning the care and safety of a loved one.  We work hard to help families avoid circumstances where a guardianship or conservatorship is needed, but when it is unavoidable, we help our clients through the process, to achieve the best outcome for all.

Nursing Home Alternatives

We will help you identify all of the possible solutions, including staying at home - there are more options out there than you may realize.

Life Care Planning

The emotional aspects of setting up care for aging parents can be difficult for the family, creating many possible points of stress.  We will work with you to solve Life Care planning issues by bringing an experienced, neutral point of view to the table.