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Finding an attorney who is a “real person” can be difficult. Many attorneys surround themselves almost exclusively with other attorneys and are accustomed to speaking in ivory tower legalese. You should be able to connect with your attorney on a personal level, and he or she should speak to you in plain language that you can understand. You will be working very closely with this person on issues that are very important to you. It is important that he or she be down-to-earth and someone that you connect with.
The most common complaint that clients have of their attorneys is that the attorney is unreachable, does not communicate with them regularly, or does not promptly return your calls. Your attorney should reach out to you about your case regularly and respond within 24 hours to calls and e-mails. An open line of communication between you and your attorney is essential to building trust.
Your attorney’s goal should not be to win at all costs. Rather, it should be to achieve a favorable outcome for you as efficiently as possible. It is important that your attorney set realistic expectations at the outset as to the costs you should expect, the concerns that the attorney has about the outcome of your case, and the length of time that you should expect your case to take.
Regardless of the nature of your case, we have an experienced attorney who will focus on your individual needs. Our team of attorneys works closely together, bringing each of their different fields of experience to bear in order to optimize our client care.
Kevin's firm handled setting up my will and trust recently. They took something that seemed intimidating and made it easy to understand. I've also referred a couple clients to Kevin - he's trustworthy, approachable and very fairly priced.
"I've used Kevin and his firm's services since 2011. He gave undivided attention to my cases, advised me on different options and..."
"Kevin was extremely professional, responsive and knowledgeable when I came to him for help. I would definitely recommend O'Flaherty Law!"
At O'Flaherty law our Des Moines special needs attorneys recognize the responsibility and time it takes to care for someone with special needs. That is why we are dedicated to helping you to find the best available state and federal benefits, set up special need trusts, and other legal provisions so your loved one has the access to the care and financial resources required for them to succeed.
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Please contact our friendly lawyers to Schedule a Consultation.
The purpose of a consultation is to determine whether our firm is a good fit for your legal needs. Although we often discuss expected results and costs, our attorneys do not give legal advice unless and until you choose to retain us.
Schedule a ConsultationLearn More About The Firm2716 Grand Ave., Ste. 2
Des Moines, IA 50312
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I am personally committed to ensuring that each one of our clients receives the highest level of client service from our team. Our mission is to provide excellent legal work in a cost-effective manner while maintaining open lines of communication between our clients and their attorneys. Many of our clients are going through difficult times in their lives when they reach out to us. They should feel comfortable leaning on the experience and knowledge of our attorneys as their counselors and advocates. We are here to help!
In this video, our Des Moines special needs attorneys explain that a court-appointed guardian is an individual who has been granted legal authority by an Iowa court to care for and take responsibility for another individual who is unable to legally take care of herself and make decisions or is incapacitated and unable to care for herself and make decisions. The court must determine that the potential non-parent guardian will act in the best interest of the ward. The most common type of court-appointed guardianship in Iowa is guardianship for an incapacitated adult. This type of guardianship includes everything from adults who have been in sudden accidents and left with an inability to complete a mental or physical task to adults succumbing to mental or physical diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. The adult does not have to be completely physically or mentally incapacitated to require a guardian. Generally, for the court to appoint a guardian for an adult, the individual with a disability must lack the ability to make sound decisions regarding their own well being and/or financial issues.
In this video, our Des Moines special needs attorneys discuss how a to use Special Needs Trusts, also known as Supplemental Needs Trusts, in order to allow disabled individuals to accumulate assets and income in excess of these amounts without reducing the amount of SSI benefits that they are eligible to receive. Typically a loved one will create the trust and serve as trustee, with the disabled individual being the beneficiary. A bank account will then be opened in the name of the trust.
In this video, our Des Moines special needs attorneys explain how a special needs trust is a tool that can be used to benefit a person with a disability. It allows the person with a disability to accumulate assets and earn income without negatively impacting government benefits. Many government benefits are “means-tested” meaning that if the recipient earns more than a certain threshold in income or accumulates more than a certain threshold in assets, the benefits will be reduced or eliminated.
A testamentary special needs trust is one that is provided for in a third party’s will or trust. An example is when a parent of an individual with a disability provides in her will that upon her death a special needs trust will be created for her child and that a certain portion of her estate will be transferred to the trust. This can also be accomplished through a revocable living trust. A testamentary special needs trust does not actually come into existence until the death of the third party whose will or trust provides for it.
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