The areas of practice our law firm concentrates in include:
If you have a legal issue in an area that we do not concentrate in, we also provide a free referral service to another trusted attorney. A brief overview of our practice areas and referral service follows below. If you would like to learn more about these areas of practice, we’ve provided more details on our Legal Education page.
Estate Planning
By definition, estate planning is a process designed to help you manage and preserve your assets while you are alive, and to conserve and control their distribution after your death, according to your goals and objectives. Tools for estate planning may include, wills, trusts and powers of attorney for healthcare and property. Mr. Nichelson will review your personal situation, recommend a course of action, and then complete the documents you need to reach your estate planning goals.
Medicaid Planning/Nursing Home Planning
The best time to plan for the possibility of nursing home care is when you are still healthy. By doing so, you may be able to have your long-term care costs paid for and also protect your assets for your loved ones. This planning is commonly referred to as Medicaid planning. Even if you have not planned ahead, and depending on the individual circumstances, a person who must enter a nursing home may be able to still protect most, if not all, of their assets.
Mr. Nichelson is an experienced Medicaid planning attorney who will assist with the Medicaid application and hearing, and also develop strategies to rearrange finances and legally shelter assets so that they do not have to be spent to pay for your nursing home care.
Elder Law
Elder Law involves the legal issues that arise as a consequence of the aging process. Elder law is not defined by a single area of the law. Instead, elder law attorneys assist clients with a variety of issues, including: Medicaid and asset protection planning, Medicare, social security, disability planning, pensions, retirement plans, financial and health care decision-making through the use of powers of attorney, elder abuse and financial exploitation, and end-of-life decision making through the use of living wills, estate planning, wills, trusts and probate.
In elder law matters, Mr. Nichelson concentrates on Medicaid and asset protection, estate planning, powers of attorney, wills, trusts, and probate. He works with seniors and their families to design a plan to ensure that all legal components work together to adequately protect seniors and their property.
Wills
There are many tools that an individual can use to determine what happens to your money, home, and other property after you die, but a will is probably the most common and most vital. Mr. Nichelson will help you develop a will that meets your needs and your goals.
Trusts
A trust is an agreement that determines how a person's property is to be managed and distributed during his or her lifetime and also upon death. When you need to establish a trust to protect and manage your property, Mr. Nichelson will take the time to familiarize himself with your particular situation and develop a solution that is right for you. He has experience with revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, and testamentary trusts, and he will advise you on the best option for your circumstances.
Powers of Attorney
A Power of Attorney (POA) is a written document that authorizes someone else to do something on your behalf, often times in regards to property or health. Although Illinois has standard forms that can establish a POA, there are often details specific to your situation that will not be addressed by the standard form. Mr. Nichelson will create POA’s that ensure your specific needs are met.
Probate
Probate is the process whereby the court appoints someone to manage the estate of the decedent. This may be a person designated in the decedent’s will as an executor, or if there is no will, it will be an administrator appointed by the court. A will’s executor or administrator has many administrative responsibilities to ensure that the final matters of a person’s estate are handled properly. Mr. Nichelson can assist you with the probate process and help you carry out your responsibilities.
Guardianship
Mr. Nichelson can help you complete the proper legal paperwork to petition the court for guardianship over a disabled adult or over a minor under the age of 18. He will be your trusted advisor and representative as you petition the court for guardianship.
Real Estate
There are many details involved in any real estate transaction, and you want to be sure they are handled properly to avoid problems down the road. Mr. Nichelson has the experience and knowledge you need to complete a successful transaction and protect your interests. He can prepare the real estate contract and disclosures, work with the bank to coordinate the transaction, order and review the title insurance, explain taxation issues, prepare deed and real estate transfer tax declarations, and attend the closing with you. He also prepares contracts for deed and related documents. If you own rental property, Mr. Nichelson can provide advice and representation for any issues that arise with your tenants.
Referral Service
When you are not feeling well, you initially go to your primary doctor for a diagnosis. If your doctor believes that your illness may be due to a heart problem, he or she may refer you to a heart specialist who your doctor knows and trusts. Likewise, when you have any legal problem, you should begin by contacting your primary attorney. If your primary attorney does not handle a particular legal issue, then he or she should refer you to another attorney who concentrates in that area of law.
Our office has a network of attorneys who concentrate in legal matters that we do not handle. These are attorneys who we know and trust, which is a much better referral than looking through a phone book and calling an attorney at random! At no cost to you, our office can refer you to attorneys who handle cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, automobile accidents, workers compensation, divorces, bankruptcy and criminal/traffic matters.
