The Elderlaw Firm

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The Elderlaw Firm

"You’re not like other lawyers," said my client.

This compliment, as simple as it may be, actually sums up a lot about The Elderlaw Firm.

Our attorneys and staff share a common bond – our passion to help seniors deal with the challenges of aging – a bond that allows us to go beyond what you might expect from a typical attorney.

This help comes in many different forms – from our frequent Elder Care Workshops, to which our lawyers and staff donate their time every month, to the Free Informational Guides we’ve prepared to help seniors protect their hard-earned savings, to the smiling face you’ll see when you enter our office.

I have practiced elder law in Greensboro since 1984, and our firm takes great pride in the service that we’ve provided our community since starting The Elderlaw Firm in 2002.
Why Elder Law?

When I look back I realize that my path to elder law is more like a calling than anything else. I did not choose elder law as a calculated business decision. Rather, my practicing elder law stemmed from my passion to serve those facing the challenges of aging. Elder law choose me.

At the Elderlaw Firm, we find that clients frequently rely upon us for more than traditional legal advice. We help clients and families pull together the “aging puzzle” with its many ill-fitting pieces. This often involves issues of frail health, caregiving needs, survivor care concerns, financial decisions, residential options, family relationships, insufficient assets, substitute decision-makers, cumbersome probate, end-of-life decisions, and more.

In fact, the legal advice we provide may be the least complicated piece of the client’s aging puzzle. Without our expert legal counsel, however, none of the other puzzle pieces fit.
Who Are Our Clients?

In our typical elder law representation, our client is usually the senior. We serve the senior’s interests, not those of their adult children. Occasionally the client’s adult children push an agenda that conflicts with their parent’s. When possible, we strive to mediate those conflicts and seek our client’s best interests.

In contrast, when clients get information from other sources, whether it is the government, a care facility, their banker, or even another family member, the person giving the answers may be well-meaning, but it is not their job to put the senior-client’s interests first. In fact, most advisors must put their employer’s (or their own) interests first. The elder law attorney is the advocate for the frail senior. Our code of ethics demands that we place our client’s interests first.

Elder law sometimes is viewed as "holistic," because it encompasses so many different areas. We work at the intersection of estate planning, disability, Medicare, Medicaid, VA benefits, financial planning, health care, family dynamics, tax law, and medicine. We often collaborate with a network of other capable professionals.

At the Elderlaw Firm, we want our elder law practice to be "transformational" rather than merely "transactional." We go beyond typical legal tasks like resolving a dispute, drafting a document, or closing a real estate deal.

Even the name of our firm reflects our focus on the client. When I opened the doors for my law firm to focus exclusively on elder law and estate planning matters in North Carolina, I choose the name “The Elderlaw Firm.” The emphasis is always on the people we are privileged to serve, and how we can help.
The Elder Care Journey

As an elder law attorney, I strive to empower lives for the better in a way which will impact whole families for years to come. Our entire law firm knows and understands that we are providing important services our clients need, and their lives will be better because they asked us for help and guidance along the way.

The Elder Care Journey is a path that each of us walks but once for ourselves. Yet we travel beside this path many times, forward and back, with those we love and those we serve. At The Elderlaw Firm, every client gets a Trustworthy Guide to the Elder Care Journey, every step of the way.

As we help friends, neighbors and clients who are older than us, we see our future reflected back to us. We give to those we serve the same help, for guiding, protecting and caring assistance that we hope someone will offer to us when we need help ourselves.
Meet Our Team
Dennis Toman
Dennis Toman

Attorney
Steven Arrington
Steven Arrington

Attorney
Carolyn Bowman
Carolyn Bowman

Legal Assistant
Ellen Jones
Ellen Jones

Medicaid Benefits Coordinator
Laura Goodman
Laura Goodman

Paralegal
Don Smith
Don Smith

Community Relations and Education
Peggy Noell Smith
Peggy Noell Smith


Our Services
Paying for Long-Term Care | FREE Elder Care Planning Workshops | Planning for Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia
Qualifying for North Carolina Medicaid | Planning for Care While at Home | Money for Aged & Disabled Veterans
Hospice Planning Strategies | Estate and Trust Planning | For Financial Professionals - Helping Your Clients
Paying for Long-Term Care

Our free guide reveals the secrets that hundreds of families in North Carolina have used to get financial assistance for the cost of long-term care legally and honestly...without having to sell their home or drain their hard-earned savings!
FREE Elder Care Planning Workshops

The members of our staff regularly donate their time to host workshops held frequently throughout the community. These workshops are a great opportunity to discover the little-known strategies and benefits that you may be able to use in a crisis situation or in planning for the future.
Planning for Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia

Studies have shown that the lifetime cost of caring for a person with Alzheimer's average $147,000! With such high costs, taking proper planning steps to ensure a high standard of care is absolutely essential. Our FREE Guide reveals the 9 steps you should be taking right now to protect your loved one and regain peace of mind for yourself and your family.
Qualifying for North Carolina Medicaid

Learn how to qualify for Medicaid legally and honestly...without having to drain your savings! Our FREE guide will put to rest a number of common myths about the Medicaid program and teach you the strategies you need to wade through the complicated and often confusing waters of Medicaid qualification.
Planning for Care While at Home

Our PAL ElderCareâ„¢ service enables our clients to achieve three important goals for any North Carolina senior: Access to quality health care, whether at home or in a residential facility; the ability to pay for health care legally and honestly, without draining your savings; and peace of mind for the entire family, knowing that their loved one is cared for and safe.
Money for Aged or Disabled Veterans

Are you an honorably discharged veteran struggling with the high cost of assisted living or home health care? Our FREE Guide reveals critical information about a "hidden benefit" that could help you save thousands of dollars!
Hospice Planning Strategies

Planning for a loved one with a life-threatening illness can be extremely complicated. Taking the proper planning steps, however, can actually provide great peace of mind...request our FREE guide today to learn more about the steps you should be taking to ensure that your loved one's wishes will be followed and their savings will be protected.
Estate and Trust Planning

A well-crafted estate plan can help you avoid North Carolina probate, establish goals and direction, and eliminate excessive and unnecessary taxes. Learn more about the benefits of our estate and trust services and how we can help you to achieve the security that comes with knowing that your future is secure.
For Financial Professionals - Helping Your Clients

Whether your clients need pre-planning or crisis planning, The Elderlaw Firm stands ready to help you and your clients work through these important issues. We invite you to order our Free educational CD about how your clients can keep more of what they’ve got, and we have written informational guides available for popular estate protection topics as well.

The Elderlaw Firm • U.S. Trust Building • 301 N. Elm St., Ste. 707 • Greensboro, NC 27401
(336) 378-1122 • Toll-Free (877) 909-1122