Greensboro, North Carolina Elder Law and Medicaid Planning Attorney

Our Story

"You're Not Like Other Lawyers" – The Story of the Elderlaw Firm
by Dennis Toman

Attorneys Dennis Toman at Steve Arrington at Rick Law's Veterans Benefits Institute

"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 law firm shares 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?

Dennis with Rocky Bleier, the four-time Super Bowl champion and veterans advocate. Rocky is one of only 24 players with four super bowl rings!

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