Elder Law
Elder law attorneys in New Mexico: planning that protects dignity
Elder law planning helps families prepare for the practical and legal realities of aging — before a crisis forces rushed decisions. As an elder law attorney and wills and trusts attorney serving families across New Mexico, we help with:
Our elder law services
- Long-term care planning — thinking through where and how care will be provided, and how it will be paid for
- Power of attorney — working with a power of attorney lawyer to name who can make financial and health care decisions if you're unable to
- Advance directives — documenting your medical wishes in writing
- Guardianship and conservatorship — a guardianship attorney can help when planning wasn't done in advance and a court process becomes necessary
- Medicaid planning and benefits — as a Medicaid planning attorney, we help you understand eligibility and options for long-term care coverage
- Special needs planning — special needs trusts and planning that protect a loved one's benefits while providing for their future
- Protecting against elder financial abuse — an elder abuse attorney's view of the legal tools and the warning signs
- Wills and trusts — the documents that carry an elder law plan through, prepared for New Mexico families
Medicaid trusts and long-term care planning in New Mexico
Long-term care in New Mexico can cost families thousands of dollars a month. New Mexico Medicaid, administered by the Health Care Authority, can help pay for nursing home and in-home care, but eligibility depends on strict income and asset limits, and Medicaid reviews transfers made during the five years before an application. Planning ahead gives families more options. As Medicaid planning attorneys serving Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and communities statewide, we help clients understand whether tools such as an irrevocable Medicaid asset protection trust, planned gifting, or other strategies fit their situation, and how to time them so they work as intended. Even when care is needed now, there may still be options worth exploring.
Special needs trusts for New Mexico families
A special needs trust lets you provide for a loved one with a disability without putting their eligibility for SSI or Medicaid at risk. We help families choose and set up the right type of trust: a third-party trust funded by parents or other relatives as part of their own estate plan; a first-party trust for assets that belong to the person with a disability, such as an inheritance or settlement; or a pooled trust when that is the better fit. We also help families coordinate a trust with an ABLE account, guardianship or supported decision-making options, and the person they choose as trustee.
Who we work with
We work with adult children navigating care for aging parents just as often as we work directly with the person planning for their own future. Every plan starts with a conversation about what matters most to your family — not a generic checklist. We serve clients statewide in New Mexico, from our Albuquerque and Las Cruces offices to Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Los Lunas, and beyond.
Have questions? See our Elder Law FAQs or reach out below.
Consultations by appointment only.