Elder Law & Estates.

Aging well takes planning — care costs, capacity, guardianship, and the dignity of deciding for yourself while you still can. We guide families through it patiently and in plain language, together with our wills and trusts colleagues.

500+Families guided through care planning and guardianship
90%Of guardianships granted without a contested hearing
30yrCombined bench-and-bar experience on the elder team

Overview

Elder law is estate planning that has to work while you are still living it. The documents matter, but so does the map — who acts, when, and with what authority — and we make sure the family understands both before a crisis forces the question.

Powers of attorney and advance directives, guardianship and conservatorship, long-term-care planning and asset protection, and the difficult cases of financial exploitation. Firm with the problem, gentle with the family.

Families meet us at our Chicago headquarters or by video; where care, property or relatives sit abroad, our London headquarters and associated counsel in Singapore coordinate under one plan rather than three disconnected opinions.

A family meeting around a table, planning made personal

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The Elder Law & Estates team

OJ

O. Janssen

Senior Partner · Lead, Elder Law & Estates
RK

Ruth Kessler

Partner · Guardianship
HL

H. Lavoie

Counsel · Long-Term Care Planning
IM

I. Maitland

Associate · Estate Administration
See all people

What the record says

They put my mother’s affairs in order with more kindness than I expected from lawyers.
Family client survey, 2025
Guardianship granted in three weeks, at a hearing they made sure I understood.
Client survey, 2025

Recent work

Matters we're proud of

Guardianship

Emergency guardianship granted for an at-risk senior

Care planning

Family home protected within a long-term-care plan

Capacity

Contested power of attorney upheld after challenge

Abuse

Financial exploitation of a senior stopped and assets traced

Latest articles and knowledge

Article

Powers of attorney: choosing the right person, not the nearest

Legal briefing

Paying for care: what the rules actually allow

Article

Spotting financial abuse of an elderly relative

Plan for the years ahead, in plain words

A confidential first conversation with the elder law team — families welcome together.

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