Profile: Florida Elder Law Specialist, Stephanie Schneider

Elder Law is a specialized field of law that deals with not only the issues faced by the the elderly, but people of all ages. This area of law combines elements of Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts, Conservatorship (also called Guardianship), Health Care Planning, Medicare/Medicaid Planning, and Elder Rights.

Seniors are more active and live longer than ever before, but they have a new set of legal concerns that have rarely been addressed by earlier generations. Older people have always needed Wills and Estate Planning to pass their assets to their beneficiaries. Now that they are living longer, there are more issues about their future care that have to be included in Estate Planning, such as plans for housing, future medical care, and what to do if the person should become incapacitated. One of the most important questions that is being raised is how to provide long-term housing, with possibly increasing levels of care, as the seniors age. This, in turn, is giving rise to a whole new industry of senior living facilities and raising many legal questions about contract rights and the power of facilities to discharge residents. As continuing care becomes more and more expensive, seniors are also in need on information about long-term care insurance and government benefits.

Stephanie L. Schneider and her team specialize in providing legal counsel to seniors, young adults and persons with disabilities (of all ages). They work with families who have loved ones with special needs, and domestic partners. The firm takes a holistic approach to providing elder law services to ensure that the client's legal, social, psychological, medical and financial needs are met as they age. This is accomplished by working with other professionals such as geriatric care managers, social workers, support coordinators, financial planners, accountants, psychologists, and medical professionals.

Areas of expertise include:

• Preserving settlement proceeds and inheritances for individuals with disabilities of any age
• Representation family members and professional guardians in adult and minor guardianships
• Probating estates and administering trusts
• Estate planning
• Long term care planning and asset protection
• Finding exceptions to Medicaid lien recovery

Florida Elder Law specialist Stephanie Schneider discusses her practice with LBN host Scott Drake.