Our Knowledge Is your Power
"Expect the Unexpected" you may have heard that phrase before. When sudden illness, injury or death occur, the impact on you can be disastrous beyond the emotional aspects. Planning for every aspect of your own and loved one's life is the strongest way to combat financial and emotional catastrophe. Our expertise have saved many homes and assets from loss due to the overwhelming expenses of hospital and nursing home care. In our practice the unexpected is expected, we know how to handle the twists and turns.
We plan estates in such a way that your beneficiaries receive family assets economically. We help those who have money or services due to them claim and receive what is truly and rightfully theirs.
When Hardship Has Already Happened
An Elder Law attorney can help you even after troubling circumstances around illness, death and long-term care have damaged your financial and family life. Legal actions can be pursued to lessen the burdens you currently have.
How We Work
We work hand-in-hand with our clients in order to fully understand their personal situation, desires and expectations so that we can provide them with the proper strategy to meet their financial and legal needs.
Contact us with your questions, comments or concerns. We offer a free, no obligation, half-hour consultation for clients who want to discuss their estate and elder law rated matters.
We make visits to homes, nursing homes and hospitals for the benefit of our clients.
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Medi-Cal
Without sufficient planning, you can lose all or part of the equity in your home. You can lose your assets. Proper Medi-Cal planning can save your home from the nursing homes and hospitals that can take equity out of your home in the event of long term care and/or medical bills that you cannot afford to pay.
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Living Trust
More and more individuals are putting their assets into revocable living trusts which are completely flexible and broadly adaptable arrangements for management, protection and distribution of a family's assets.
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Estate Planning
If you have not yet properly planned your estate, more likely than not your home and most of your assets are going to be subject to probate (court procedure) and legal fees when you pass on. Even if you did set up your estate the right way, but time has passed or things have changed, your beneficiaries may still not receive all or any of what you had intended.
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Conservatorship
We can help you to obtain a Conservatorship in California. A Conservatorship can be set up after a judge decides that a person (called the "conservatee") can't take care of themselves or their finances. Then the judge chooses another person or organization (called the "conservator") to be in charge of the conservatee's care or finances, or both.
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Special Needs Planning
If you currently provide care for a child or loved one with special needs (such as mental or physical disabilities), you must have contemplated with concern about what may happen to them when you are no longer able to provide and care for them.
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Incapacity Planning
A durable power of attorney allows you to carry on your financial affairs in the event that you become disabled. Unless you have a properly drafted power of attorney, it may be necessary to apply to a court to have a guardian or conservator appointed to make decisions for you when you are disabled.
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About Us
Ray Sowards has been practicing Elder Law for over 20 years. He received his BS Degree from CSU EastBay in 1973. He received his JD Degree from Lincoln Law School in 1985.
Mr. Sowards' practice is devoted to Elder Law (Catastrophic Illness), Saving the family home and assets from the cost of Nursing Home Care, Estate Planning, Probate, Financial Planning, Real Estate, Insurance and related matters.
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Elder Law Quick Tip
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What is a Durable Power of Attorney?
A durable power of attorney allows you to carry on your financial affairs in the event that you become disabled. Unless you have a properly drafted power of attorney, it may be necessary to apply to a court to have a guardian or conservator appointed to make decisions for you when you are disabled. This guardianship process is time-consuming, expensive, often costing thousands of dollars and emotionally draining.
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