Elder Law and Estate Planning · Fredericksburg, Virginia
Elder law and estate planning, set down before it’s urgent.
Wills and trusts, powers of attorney, medical directives, Medicare and Medicaid, nursing-home and assisted-living questions, and elder abuse or nursing-home negligence.
Chapter 01
Where families wait too long.
Estate and elder matters tend to arrive one of two ways: calmly, years ahead, or all at once in a hospital hallway. The second is harder. Nobody has the right document, a parent can no longer sign one, and decisions about care, money and a house land on whoever happens to be in the room.
Other trouble is quieter. A will nobody has updated. A Medicare or Medicaid question no one has asked. A nursing-home or assisted-living agreement signed fast during a crisis. And in the worst cases, a family sees signs that a parent isn’t being looked after, which is where elder abuse and nursing-home negligence come in.
Reading glasses on a ribbon-tied document beside a wax-sealed envelope
Planning and protection from the same firm.
Cornerstone Law Group’s elder and estate practice covers wills and trusts, tax issues, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, nursing-home, assisted-living and in-home care, powers of attorney, and medical directives or living wills. On the other side of the same practice, the firm takes on nursing-home negligence and elder abuse.
Joseph M. Kirchgessner, a Fredericksburg-area native who joined the firm in 2015, and Carolyn E. Dahlberg, the firm’s managing partner, both practice estate planning.
The firm describes its own approach this way: “We care about you and your legal issues.” That runs from the first call in Fredericksburg to the nine offices that serve families around the state.
Chapter 03
What to bring, and what happens next.
Bring whatever paperwork exists, even if it’s old. A will from years ago is still a place to start.
Helpful items include any will, trust or power of attorney, a list of accounts and insurance, benefit and Medicare paperwork, and any agreement a care facility has handed you. If you’re calling on behalf of a parent, bring their papers and a note about what has changed.
The first consultation is free, and the firm arranges a variety of payment options. Call (540) 898-8881 and the Fredericksburg office will find the attorney whose practice fits your family’s situation.
Joseph M. Kirchgessner and Carolyn E. Dahlberg both practice estate planning at Cornerstone Law Group.
The register
What a family should know is written down.
A short entry for each, in plain words. For the rest, meet the attorneys, or ask for a free consultation.
- Wills and trusts
- Who receives what you leave, and how it passes to them.
- Powers of attorney
- Who may act for you on money and property if you can’t.
- Medical directives and living wills
- Your wishes for care, written down before anyone needs to ask.
- Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and tax issues
- The programs and the tax questions that sit behind income and the cost of care.
- Nursing home, assisted living and in-home care
- Choosing and paying for care, and what to do when care falls short, including nursing-home negligence and elder abuse.