Most estate plans don’t work because client answers are fit into templates, which often wind up in court, whether for administrative needs or because of conflict. If you have an estate plan and it’s out of date, your assets could be lost to the State Department of Unclaimed Property, or to an unnecessary Court process. Furthermore, a basic estate plan does not address the intangibles of your end-of-life plans and the legacy you want to leave for your loved ones, nor does it ensure adequate planning and protections if you have minor children.

I work together with you to capture what you would want to happen in the event of your incapacity or death to keep your loved ones out of court and out of conflict.

We will start by discussing what would happen to your assets and your family without an estate plan. We will then discuss whether that aligns with your desires, and come up with a customized estate plan that will protect your loved ones and keep them out of court in the case of your incapacity or death. We will also work together to allow you to choose the right plan for you based on your family dynamics, your assets, and your budget.

As part of the final product, you will have peace of mind because of the following unique services we offer (as part of your planning package for no additional fee) which are important and often overlooked: letters and discussions with the people impacted by your planning; capture intangibles in your estate plan; regular reviews of your plan.

This is a unique approach offered through the Family Wealth Institute as a Personal Family Lawyer in training.

From 2013-2015 (starting at the age of 18) I had the unique experience of being the sole advocate for the interests and intent of my elder relatives due to deceitful actions by a family member. These cases spanned estate planning, probate administration and asset tracing, elder abuse, and criminal law (prosecution and defense). During this time, I worked closely with St. Paul Police and learned about the lack of resources available to address these problems. This is what inspired me to do this work. In 2019, I received a Lutheran Home Appreciation Award for the efforts connected with these cases.

2017 - On behalf of the Minnesota Elder Justice Center, I designed a survey of all Minnesota law enforcement agencies’ investigation of Financial Exploitation of Vulnerable Adults. I analyzed these results for MEJC presentations around the state.

2018 - Legislative Intern for Minnesota Senator Karin Housley. Senator Housley, as Senate Aging and Long-Term Care Policy Committee Chairwoman, called for Minnesota’s 2017 elder care workgroup and authored the 2019 Elder Care and Vulnerable Adult Protection Act).

2020 - Presented to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Managing Attorneys on Financial Exploitation of Vulnerable Adults.

Dec. 2022 - Co-authored the Minnesota State Bar Association Elder Law Section’s Amicus Curiae Brief in support of the appeal of Zika v. Weaver to the Minnesota Supreme Court.