Elder Law/Estate Planning Principal Attorney & Founder - Nicole Wipp
Role in the Firm: Nicole is the primary legal services provider in the firm, including court-related matters.
- Traditional Estate Planning - Wills, Health Care Proxies, Living Wills, Guardianships, Financial Powers of Attorney, Revocable Living Trusts.
- Advanced Estate Planning - Asset protection Trusts for individuals and business owners.
- Medicaid Pre-planning or Qualification -Protection of assets from Nursing Homes and ensuring eligibility for Medicaid. Handles preparation, submission and interview with the Department of Human Services (DHS) to provide required information and respond to inquiries related to both institutional and community Medicaid.
- Special Needs/ Guardianship/ Future Care Planning - Questions & planning concerns for disabled and/or incompetent individuals regarding their current and future needs, court petitions and appearances.
- Modern Planning - All matters specific to single people, unmarried couples, blended families, same sex couples, and planning for pets.
- Business Succession Planning - Protection of business interests and ensuring effective plans in place to continue a business in the event of unanticipated incapacity or death of the principal.
- VA Pension Benefits - Qualification for VA Improved Pension, including Aid & Attendance. Assist in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of pension claims.
Estate Planning & Medicaid Specialist Paralegal - Sharon Kwolek
Background: A native of South Lyon, Sharon is the mother of 3 adult children, a son, and twin girls (which accounts for her busy and hectic life outside of the office!) She and her family are avid campers and you can usually find them at the campground on any given weekend during the Michigan summer.
Sharon obtained her Bachelor of Science as a Legal Assistant from Eastern Michigan University. Since that time, she has worked consistently for reputable law firms and estate attorneys as a valued paralegal, handling special needs, litigation, probate, Medicaid, Veteran's benefits, and general estate planning matters. Sharon is also a bonded notary public. Sharon's prior work experience is an integral part of our client's satisfaction with our services, as she provides a high level of competence and, therefore, confidence!
Role In The Firm:
- Probate - Handles all matters relating to the submission of the Will to Probate Court, Appointment of the Personal Representative & administration of the estate.
- Medicaid Applications & Submissions - Working with estate attorneys and clients to ensure a smooth and successful Medicaid application process.
- Veteran’s Administration - Working with the legal services provider(s) and clients to ensure a smooth and successful Veteran’s pension application process.
- Funding - Sharon works directly with the clients, estate attorneys and financial representatives to ensure thorough and proper funding of all trusts created by our firm.
Legal Services Administrator, Julie Taylor
Background: Julie is a native of Southeast Michigan and currently lives in Livingston County. She is a mom to six and also a grandmother. She and her husband enjoy spending time with their family, visiting the kids and grandbabies that live out of state, and spending time outdoors during the beautiful Michigan summers. You'll often find her enjoying bonfires at home or golfing with her husband and youngest son.
Julie's professional background includes personal lines insurance, medical insurance benefit coordination, working for a national pharmacy to launch a patient educational resource division, plus administrative support for several respected organizations. Her experience, and her caring nature, provides our clients with all levels of support within our firm!
Role in the Firm:
- Client Coordination - Julie's primary responsibility is to ensure client needs are met from the first contact with our firm through each law firm process (Estate Planning, Medicaid Qualification, Probate, Trust Administration, Guardianship, and Future Care Planning), to see the client proceeds efficiently to timely completion of work. You should contact Julie to schedule attendance at an upcoming workshop or to inquire of any upcoming client meetings or requests.
- Attorney Calendar Management - Julie is also responsible for the primary management of attorney Nicole Wipp's calendar, and all requests for Nicole's time should be scheduled directly through her.
- Law Firm Process Management - Julie oversees all law firm processes and is primarily tasked with ensuring they remain on track!
Relationship Management - Stacey Wilson
Background: Stacey was born and raised in Michigan and has been a Milford resident for 20 plus years. She loves to travel and spend time with her family.
Stacey is married (Patrick) and is the mother of 3 wonderful children who she adores.
To relax, Stacey loves to sit on her back deck enjoying a fire, golf and get to a beach whenever she can.
In the fall, she converts to being a big college football fan ("Go Blue!) and her favorite month is October.
Stacey worked in the court system for almost 18 years then resigned and came back to work part time after taking two years off to give back to our local community. She really loves to interact with our clients and make everyone at ease and listen to their stories. Working at Family and Aging does not feel like a job for Stacey it feels more like she is making a difference for others.
Role In The Firm:
- Partner Business Relationships - Stacey is responsible for identifying and maintaining relationships with business and community organizations that serve our client’s needs.
- Event Management - establishing the firm presence
as a crucial partner in our firm events, as well as community events & causes important to our client base. - Office Support - Stacey provides a variety of support-related tasks for the smooth continued administration of client experience.
Office Mascot - Heath
Background: Heath is a rescued pup of uncertain genetic origin. A loving, happy, playful dog, he's an important member of Nicole's family and an occasional fixture around the office.
Role In The Firm:
- Comic & Stress Relief - Heath is always willing to play or cuddle, whenever a staff member or client needs it!
- Mail & Garbage Support - Heath always goes to get the mail or take out the garbage with whoever is willing to take him!
Why Us?
Our firm is experienced, dedicated, and, most importantly, successful.
We get results. Our clients are very satisfied with the services they have received, and our relationships with our strategic partners are second to none.
- We have a 100% success rate in our nursing home Medicaid applications. We are proud that we legally save our clients' money so they can have peace of mind!
- We are experienced - together. Attorney Nicole Wipp and paralegal Sharon Kwolek have worked together for over a decade. Our main administrative support team, Julie Taylor and Stacey Wilson, have been with the firm for many years, as well. We work like a well-oiled machine and we get things done!
- We are sought-after legal experts. Nationwide, our firm is well-known in the estate planning and elder law world. Due to both our expertise and our operational excellence, we are often consulted by other firms on legal issues and firm operations.
- We are the firm of choice for many skilled nursing facilities when it comes to referring their patients or residents and their families, because the facilities know that we will take care of everything that needs to be taken care of.
At the end of the day, though, the bottom line is that we are humans working with humans. We know that these matters can be overwhelming and even scary! When you work with us, you can expect patience, understanding, and excellence.
We won't make you feel stupid and we will answer your questions!
We look forward to hearing from you.
