Often times, people hear about different areas of legal practice and the terms used mean practically nothing in and of themselves. That’s to be expected, of course, since the practice of law often encompasses different areas of legal concern that are difficult to accurately sum up in a one or two-word phrase. One example of this phenomenon is the term “elder law.” If you don’t know what it means, it can be difficult to know whether you need a lawyer who practices in this area of law. While it … [Read more...]

Have you ever just sat around and spent a few hours thinking about your own mortality? Sure, you know on an instinctual level that your time on Planet Earth is finite, but do you ever just think about what happens when you die? If you’re like most of us, the answer to that question is probably a resounding “no!” After all, who has time to wallow in such thoughts when there’s so much life to live and so much that still needs to get done? On the other hand, though, if your focus on life and the … [Read more...]

There was shocking news this week as the most recent federal rankings for nursing home quality were released – a report that compared the quality of different long-term care facilities across the nation. In news that should raise more than a few eyebrows around the state, those ranking found that 27.6% of care facilities in Georgia qualified for only the lowest possible rating of just a single star. That placed Georgia near the bottom of states in the southeast region, with only the state of … [Read more...]

Taxes are something that most of us consider at one point or another in our lives, and that includes taxes on inheritances. For years, politicians have made great hay out of debating the relative merits of taxes on estates and inheritance, with some extoling the revenue benefits these taxes can provide and others criticizing them as an unnecessary “death tax” on wealth that was already taxed in life. For Georgia residents, and those residents of other states who stand to inherit property from … [Read more...]

One thing about estate planning that many people often fail to understand is that there is more to it than just ensuring a smooth distribution of property when you die. If you have dependents who rely on you for their care, then you know that one of the most important things that you can do is to plan ahead to ensure that your loved ones are cared for when you’re gone. This can be especially important for dependents with special needs, since their care after your death usually requires something … [Read more...]

By now, you’ve probably heard that everyone needs an estate plan. At some point, we all pass away, and we have a duty to ourselves and our loved ones to ensure that we have created a plan that can properly settle our estates when we’re gone. And though some might assume that they simply don’t have enough assets to make planning worth their while, that’s rarely true. If you have any property – real estate, a bank account, a car, or even a stamp collection, then you need some sort of estate plan … [Read more...]

Alzheimer’s is a horrible affliction that has been on the rise in Georgia and across the nation. By some estimates, the number of seniors in the state who are expected to suffer from the disease in the next decade is expected to grow by more than 46%. That’s a frightening possibility that should provoke a renewed effort to find a solution that can help to prevent the disease. In Columbus, Georgia, a group of researchers has launched a clinical trial that is designed to find a medical solution … [Read more...]