McGraw Law PLLC

Practicing Elder and Estate Law in Denver and Along the Front Range

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Practice Areas

McGraw Law PLLC strives to engage in a practice that is sensitive to all aspects of a clients’ potential needs. While this varies according to specific wishes and situations, a clients’ cognitive, emotional, psychological, and familial dynamics are considered in addition to financial and legal realities and fact sets. 

ESTATE PLANNING

Life is unpredictable. Having a Will and other documents in place like general durable powers of attorney, medical durable powers of attorney, end-of-life directives, and burial directives can benefit a client and their family in adapting to and navigating life’s capricious waters.

Estate planning can help clients rest at ease knowing that they have taken action to ensure that their assets will be distributed according to their wishes, that children and pets have continuity of care and love, and that life can continue without conflict and as smoothly as possible after they pass.

Not only is life unpredictable, but everyone’s circumstances are special. Just as there are no two people who are the same, there are no two circumstances that are the same with respect to legal needs. Unique family dynamics and asset accumulation create the need for a tailored approach to each estate plan. Business succession planning may also be appropriate. Engaging an attorney with experience, perceptivity, and compassion is vital to this process, and McGraw Law PLLC is here to help.

ESTATE ADMINISTRATION (PROBATE)

Estate administration is appropriate to probate a Will, administer an estate where there is no Will, and various other derivative circumstances.

When a loved one passes away, McGraw Law PLLC handles the legal logistics so that clients have the space to grieve. Caryn McGraw Turner’s personal experiences with grief inform her approach in representing persons experiencing loss. McGraw Law PLLC is honored to be of service in these difficult times for its clients.

AGING PLANNING

Aging may be frightening to some and altogether daunting to others, but planning for aging is critical to the well-being of elders. McGraw Law PLLC deeply recognizes the value of our elders to our society and understands the intricacies of the aging process. The legal documents associated with estate planning and aging planning affect the medical and financial aspects of a client’s life, which have rippling effects into the client’s psychological and familial life. McGraw Law PLLC works collaboratively with clients (and sometimes, their families) to create a strategic, tailored, and holistic plan that addresses the concerns attendant with the aging process.

It is critical that each elder has a voice in planning for their future that accounts for what makes them who they are, and McGraw Law PLLC is here to help. Making a plan can help ensure an elder can live out their lives in comfort and peace. The sooner these plans are made, the better.

ELDER LAW

Elder law includes all aspects of estate and aging planning with an emphasis on constructing an adaptive system to meet the needs of the elder, including: identifying and securing housing and long-term care needs; protecting agency as much as possible; maintaining a voice; managing relationships; and supporting the ability to thrive.

Protecting elders from abuse is also a part of elder care practice. If an elder suspects abuse, or a client suspects that someone is taking advantage of or abusing an elder in their life on account of their age or disability, engaging a responsive, able attorney (in addition to local Adult Protective Services) is of the utmost importance. Time is of the essence in situations involving elder abuse and exploitation. Savings for care can be depleted quickly and recovery is not guaranteed. McGraw Law PLLC can help stop the bleeding of resources and protect the elder so that they may be able to live this era of their lives in comfort and peace.

GUARDIANSHIP AND CONSERVATORSHIP

Sometimes, a person may be in need of the strongest form of protection and oversight legally available: guardianship and/or conservatorship. This involves a court proceeding, which can sometimes be contested. Contested protected proceedings can be very painful for and deleterious to the health of the person who is the subject of the proceeding.

McGraw Law PLLC is committed to protecting the right of choice in the face of proposed conservatorship and guardianship. McGraw Law PLLC strives to scrutinize every situation to ensure that the least restrictive means are employed to protect the proposed ward or protected person. 

In situations wherein conservatorship or guardianship is warranted, McGraw Law PLLC takes pride in assisting families to establish responsibility in those family members or third parties who can best serve in these roles for the proposed ward or protected person. McGraw Law PLLC can help clients determine whether conservatorship and/or guardianship is the right choice for their situation.

ELDER, PROBATE, & INTERGENERATIONAL MEDIATION

Sometimes, there is disagreement among loved ones as to the plan for an aging family member. Here, mediation may be a preferred option to an adversarial court proceeding. Mediation can occur before a contested proceeding begins and after one has been initiated.

Engaging in mediation when conflict arises can help preserve important relationships that can be vital to the health and wellbeing of an aging person as well as negate the need for a contested proceeding that could be traumatic for the aging person. This process allows family members and loved ones to cocreate a resolution instead of being handed one by a court or third party. Mediation can be a helpful measure to avoid (further) litigation, including the financial, psychological, relational, and sometimes physical effects that can accompany it. Most importantly, mediation focuses the parties on what matters most: the wishes of the deceased or the protection and care of a loved person in need.

McGraw Law PLLC offers mediation, which can be the best approach to collaboratively make a plan and resolve disputes among family and loved ones.

APPEALS

When clients receive unsatisfactory results from a ruling that is appealable, initiating an appeal may be appropriate. The initiation of an appeal is time-sensitive. If a client is considering an appeal, time is of the essence.

McGraw Law PLLC offers experience and attention to detail in appellate work. McGraw Law PLLC handles its own appeals and will take referrals on a case-by-case basis.

CONFIDENTIALITY

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NOT LEGAL ADVICE

This site is for informational purposes only and the information and content contained on the firm’s website (this website – www.DenverElderLaw.org) does not contain legal advice and is not a substitute for a licensed attorney’s assessment of your situation. Please do not act or refrain from acting based on anything you read on this site.