As people live longer and more fulfilling lives, there has been an increased need for families to provide care and manage the estates of elder loved ones. Having to suddenly deal with a senior family member becoming incapacitated and requiring long-term elder care is a difficult and emotional situation that no one wants to be unprepared for. A proactive and comprehensive plan is the best thing you can do to prevent this unfortunate scenario for your loved ones. Our talented elder law and estate planning lawyers at Rainey & Rainey are here to help.
We focus on aiding clients with their individual legal and financial needs, including estate planning, Medicaid planning, special needs planning, asset protection, probate, and guardianship. Our attorneys focus on a broad range of long-term care planning to secure better futures for the people and families we represent. With Waco’s only board-certified Elder law attorney, and a firm full of Elder Law focused attorneys and staff, you can be confident that your family’s asset protection is in the hands of someone devoted to being the trusted legal partner you and your family deserve.
Here at Rainey & Rainey, Attorneys at Law, LP, we are proud to be Waco's premier Elder Law, Estate Planning, and Special Needs law firm. James and Elisa Rainey have committed to bringing their years of estate planning, special needs, and elder law experience to provide exemplary service to the people of Central Texas. From Long-Term Care planning to estate planning, including pour-over wills and living trusts, you can be sure that you are working with experienced and caring individuals. Contact us at (254) 752-8644 to set up a consultation with one of our experienced estate planning and elder law lawyers.
When a loved one dies with no plan in place for their estate, their assets must be distributed according to state law. If they have no Last Will & Testament, or the Will they had was not validly executed, their individual wishes may not be carried out. You know your family, your estate, and your wishes better than anyone, and creating a comprehensive estate plan is the best way to ensure that your financial assets are given out according to your wishes.
From ensuring your heir receives the money or assets you want them to, to forwarding your wishes in the businesses left behind, a well-documented estate plan can dramatically change what happens with your estate after you pass. At Rainey & Rainey, making a plan for your estate that you’re passionate about is a passion we share.
An estate plan can never be a one-size-fits-all process. Two estates with similar assets may require vastly different planning, depending on the wishes and needs of the individual.
So when asking the best time to begin planning for how your estate is handled when you are unable to do so yourself, the answer is simple: immediately. As the old saying goes, “The best time to plant a tree was one hundred years ago. The second-best time is right now.”
Why wait when you can start working today with a law firm having experience in providing effective and thorough estate plans for everything from basic estate planning, such as last will and testaments, family trusts, and powers of attorney to extensive long-term care planning? Rainey & Rainey, Attorneys at Law, is here to help you successfully ensure that your wishes, finances, assets, and loved ones are taken care of long after you’re unable to do so yourself. Contact us whenever you are ready to get started, and we’ll be glad to assist you.
Backed by more than 20 years of legal experience and with a passion to protect the rights of the injured, disabled, and elderly, founding Attorney P. James Rainey handles cases related to: Estate Planning, Elder Law, Serious Personal Injury cases, Medicaid Planning, Probate, Guardianship, Wills and Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Miller Trusts, Personal Injury Cases.
Read MoreAn attorney with more than 2 decades of legal experience, Elisa Dillard Rainey graduated with her BBA from Baylor University in 1992 and her JD from Baylor School of Law in 1994. Elisa devotes her legal practice exclusively to elder law and estate planning at Rainey & Rainey. Some of her specific practice areas in these arenas include: Medicaid Planning, Special Needs Planning and Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Wills and Trusts, Probate, Guardianship, Other Elder Law Matters.
Read MoreSarah is a passionate elder law attorney. Skilled in all facets of guardianship, probate, public benefits planning, and estate planning, Sarah has proudly served her clients at Rainey & Rainey since October 2017. She is certified by the State Bar of Texas to work as an attorney ad litem in guardianship cases. As a native Wacoan, Sarah is pleased to practice and serve in her home town. She is a committed community volunteer and an active member of the Junior League of Waco.
Read MoreAddison was born and raised in Central Texas. Addison obtained a law degree from South Texas College of Law Houston and began working for Texas families as a law student at the Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinic in Houston, Texas. She then worked in a variety of practice areas including family law, criminal law, real estate transactions, Municipal Utility Districts and homeowner associations. She later aligned her vision with her passion and joined Rainey & Rainey, providing elder law counsel.
Read MoreWith decades of legal experience focused on estate planning and elder law, Patricia “Patty” Flora Sitchler is known throughout Texas as a trusted legal leader in her fields. She has joined Rainey and Rainey, Attorneys at Law, LP to serve Of Counsel, lending her incredible insight to complex and high-stakes client cases. Some of Attorney Sitchler’s practice areas include: Elder law, Probate, Wills and Trusts, Real Estate Law.
Read MoreChris prides himself in always putting his clients' needs front and center. When it comes to estate planning, probate, Medicaid planning, and guardianship, Chris strives to put his clients' plans into motion and obtain the best outcome possible. With a background in litigation, his goal-oriented mentality has led to many hard-fought victories throughout Texas and Louisiana.
Read MoreRainey & Rainey, Attorneys at Law, provides the Waco, Georgetown, and Central Texas areas assistance in determining if you or your loved ones are eligible for Veterans Aid & Attendance, Nursing Home Medicaid, or other benefits to ease the financial burden of the retirement years. The law firm’s experienced attorneys can also help apply for those benefits, address issues, and protect your life savings.
Rainey & Rainey also can help with estate planning matters such as:
If your child, parents, or other loved ones have special needs, they will require special preparations for their future. At Rainey & Rainey, we offer assistance and representation in guardianship, estate planning, and other legal issues affecting a person with special needs. Together we can map out the road ahead, preparing you and your loved ones for what the future may hold.
Federal and state benefits, health insurance, long-term-care programs, Medicare vs. Medicaid, and many more aspects of Elder Law can be complex subjects filled with misinformation and pitfalls. Our clients come to Rainey & Rainey, Attorneys at Law, to experience a hands-on approach to sorting their legal matters with compassion and precision.
Medicaid is designed to cover your long-term care in your retirement years. Often people confuse it, in name, with Medicare. Medicare is simply the United States retirement-aged insurance program. Though Medicare may assist with short-term Rehab costs, the program does not include long-term care, in-home care, assisted living, or nursing homes.
Expenses for Long Term care can range from $5,000 to $10,000 monthly, a fee that many cannot afford, even if they feel they were fully prepared for their retirement age. That’s why we at Rainey & Rainey understand the importance for our clients to plan appropriately in order to qualify for the long-term benefits of Medicaid. Walking our clients through the process, ensuring proper documentation is in order, and giving them the peace of mind that their financial burdens will not be transferred to their loved ones are among the many services we are happy to provide.
Experience You Can Trust. James and Elisa Rainey, along with the entire Rainey & Rainey team, are professional, accomplished attorneys who will bring years of experience to your case. Elisa is a certified Elder Law attorney by the National Elder Law Association. James is an experienced and knowledgeable elder law attorney.
Compassionate and Caring. Founding attorneys P. James Rainey and Elisa Dillard Rainey created the firm with one goal in mind: to help those in need. Our entire legal team is compassionate and cares about every client, providing personal attention at every stage so that you feel informed and know what to expect.
Toughness and Tenacity. The entire team at Rainey & Rainey, Attorneys at Law, LP believes in working hard to get the job done right the first time. In addition, we have the legal knowledge to provide accurate insight and follow cases through to their end, assisting you throughout the entire legal process.
Whatever Your Needs Are, We Have You Covered. With attorneys focused on estate planning, elder law, probate, special needs planning, guardianship, VA benefits, the attorneys at Rainey & Rainey have your back, no matter your legal needs. Central Texas is in good hands with our trusted, experienced team.
Court Tested, Client Approved.We can write all day about our caring, compassionate, tenacious, and experienced team, but don’t take our word for it. Read the testimonials our clients have left for the team - from “exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly” to “thank you for helping me lift this burden.” Serving our wonderful clients is our biggest reward.
Up-to-Date Legal Knowledge. It may be relatively apparent from a quick look at our attorneys' credentials: we boast a competent team that keeps their fingers on the pulse of changes in Elder Law and Special Needs Planning. Continual growth and improvement through education and experience are our top priorities at Rainey & Rainey.
The attorneys at Rainey & Rainey, Attorneys at Law, LP are seasoned legal advocates who provide compassionate counsel with various legal matters. James and Elisa Rainey share years of experience spanning a broad range of practice areas. James Rainey is an adjunct professor of Elder Law at Baylor Law School, with a history of advising clients and receiving positive client testimonials. Elisa is certified in Elder Law, providing clients with estate administration assistance, Medicaid qualification, and estate planning. You can trust Rainey & Rainey to have your back for the above legal matters and more.
Contact Rainey & Rainey, Attorneys at Law, and schedule a consultation at (254) 752-8644 today so we can assist in setting up a plan that accomplishes your goals.
A “Living Will” or a “Directive to Physicians” is a document that states intended wishes regarding medical treatment that enacts itself when the creator of the record cannot make these decisions on their own. Often, this inability to make decisions comes from an onset disability or as the result of an injury that impairs their function or judgment.
A Directive to Physicians is a type of advance healthcare directive, which are documents that plan for healthcare directives in advance. Other types of advance healthcare directives are:
A Living Trust works similarly to a will in that it distributes your assets and belongings when you die. However, a living trust does so by placing your beneficiary as a specific type of co-owner of your assets while you are still alive. The trustee is authorized to manage the trust and the assets in the trust for as long as the trust exists. There are many stipulations or scenarios that can change how the trust works. A trust can often be customized to accomplish your goals. The best way to determine if you need a trust, what kind, or how to best utilize a trust is to visit with an elder law attorney, who can guide you through your options.
Granting someone Power of Attorney that is “durable” ensures their ability to take care of the principal’s assets in a situation where the principal is unable to do so for themselves. As this is the most common reason people assign a trusted individual Power of Attorney, we advise our clients on this difference in the documentation.
When someone is granted general Power of Attorney over a person, referred to as the ‘principal,' to manage their assets, that person only has as much ability to make decisions over those assets as the principal themselves. Therefore if the principal is rendered unable to make their own decisions, so is the individual granted general Power of Attorney.
Granting someone Power of Attorney that is “durable” ensures their ability to take care of the principal’s assets in a situation where the principal is unable to do so for themselves. As this is the most common reason people assign a trusted individual Power of Attorney, we advise our clients on this difference in the documentation.
As we’ve mentioned, estate planning differs significantly from person to person, depending on each individual’s situation. These differences can reflect an individual’s personal financial goals and cultural background, as well as their current financial situation. So how can you tell what documents your estate plan needs to include?
Every estate plan should have a last will and testament, as this is the most effective way to record your wishes for asset distribution. Beyond that, a simple plan may have a Durable Power of Attorney, Medical Power of Attorney and Directive to Physicians.
If you are still determining where you need to start, given your own estate planning situation, you should find a trusted legal team to help. At Rainey & Rainey, we are experienced in estate planning for all stages of life and are glad to help our clients ensure their peace of mind.
With over four decades of legal experience in elder law, estate planning, and special needs law, we serve our clients in setting a special needs plan that is tailored to their unique situation by:
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