ElderCounsel to help elder, special-needs attorneys meet expanding demand. WealthCounsel, a provider of tools and technology to estate attorneys, has teamed up with four leading elder-law attorneys to develop a document-drafting system and impart resources specifically for attorneys who specialize in elder law and special-needs planning.

Michael Amoruso, Howard Krooks, Louis Pierro and Louis Pierro will be principals of ElderCounsel, a new WealthCounsel affiliate.

"This is an important strategic decision that will significantly enhance our mutual objectives to provide elder law and estate planning attorneys with critical resources to competently serve the needs of the nation's aging population," says Russo.

Boom

Providing sound legal counsel for elderly and special needs clients is a challenge for estate and elder law attorneys due to the complexities of these areas of the law. Meanwhile the sheer volume of such work is about to rise sharply. The leading edge of the baby-boom generation will start turning 65 in 2011. The population of Americans over 65 will see a 78% increase between 2010 and 2030, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

ElderCounsel is meant to help lawyers serve this burgeoning demographic by providing them with software to draft legal documents like advance directives, personal-care contracts, sole-benefit trusts, income-only trusts, promissory notes and private annuity contracts. ElderCounsel will also offer educational programs and host a collaborative forum of elder-law professionals to enable attorneys to address issues that impact elder-law and special-needs planning, including long-term care financing, asset preservation, Medicaid, Social Security, and other public benefits programs.

"Forming ElderCounsel broadens our reach in the marketplace and augments the services we currently provide to members of WealthCounsel," says WealthCounsel's executive director Laura Wilson.

Madison, Wisc.-based WealthCounsel provides member attorneys with a complete practice solution that includes a document drafting system, continuing legal education, a collaborative network of 1,600 practitioners, practice resources, and discussion forums.

WealthCounsel's sister company Advisors Forum offers practice-building resources to financial professionals and other estate-planning team members. -FWR

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