Estate Planning

• Wills

• Trusts

• Healthcare Directives

• Powers of Attorney

• Guardianships and Conservatorships

Probate Administration

• Informal and Formal

• Unsupervised and Supervised

Services

Estate and Trust Litigation

Litigation and Investigation Related to Elder Abuse

• Financial Exploitation

• Physical Abuse and Neglect

Probate Litigation

• Will Contest and Defense

  • Undue influence

  • Duress or Coercion

  • Fraud or Forgery

  • Lack of Testamentary Capacity

  • Improper Execution

  • Superseded Will

• Removals

  • Trustee

  • Executor

  • Agent under Power of Attorney

• Administrator Appointments

• Fee disputes (executors and fiduciaries)

• Formal accountings

• Spousal elective share

Breach of Fiduciary Duty

Guardianship Disputes

A Unique Background

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.

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.