Estate Planning | Elder Law | Special Needs Planning
Client Education, Collaboration, and Compassion
The Elville and Associates Difference
Founded in June, 2010, by President and Principal Attorney Stephen R. Elville, J.D., LL.M., Elville and Associates is an estate planning, elder law, and special needs planning practice. It is our mission to provide practical solutions to our clients’ needs through counseling, education, and the use of superior legal-technical knowledge.
Education and counseling are the foundations upon which Elville and Associates’ attorneys serves its clients, partners, and surrounding community. The firm counsels its clients based on the core principles of the Elville Legacy System™ -- the six steps to perfect estate planning. Mr. Elville has also developed programs for clients who wish to streamline the planning process but still wish to enjoy the benefits of the educational component throughout, including Elville Self-Direct Select™ and Elville Self-Direct Protect™, a limited-attorney-assistance client education program for estate planning. The firm also offers an Advisors’ Forum every two months for its planning team partners, an continuing education series that covers the latest topics in the world of estate planning, elder law and special needs planning.
No matter what planning path our clients choose, Elville and Associates firmly believes in the “planning team concept” – a concept that ensures clients’ attorneys, advisors and CPAs work collaboratively on their behalf during the planning process to provide their family peace of mind and confidence. The attorneys at Elville and Associates work with the top Certified Financial Planners, financial advisors, CPAs and other professionals around the country and work to be a reliable partner to them.
Elville and Associates’ attorneys frequently offer free educational workshops throughout central Maryland. Our attorneys are seasoned speakers and share their knowledge over 100 times each year with the communities we serve about a wide range of topics – from our popular “Estate Planning Essentials” workshops, to workshops delving into elder law, retirement planning, estate and trust administration, special needs planning, aging in place versus Continuing Care Retirement Community living, the latest topics of interest in estate planning, and many, many more. Elville and Associates’ attorneys present regularly at financial services firms, libraries, senior centers, employee benefits meetings for companies, expos, special needs organizations, and many more.
The firm also firmly believes in client care and client lifetime maintenance and updating to ensure that planning works as intended. The mission of our Client Care Program (“planning that works”) is to provide our clients with the comfort and assurance that their estate and elder law plans will work no matter how their goals situations may change, and to ensure planning remains consistent with changes in the laws. Elville and Associates is currently one of only a handful of law firms in the country to have an accredited and designed Client Care Program through the Client Maintenance Academy located in Boston.
Elville and Associates – Providing practical solutions to clients in elder law, estate planning, and special needs planning through counseling, education and leading-edge legal technical knowledge.
No matter what planning path our clients choose, Elville and Associates firmly believes in the “planning team concept” – a concept that ensures clients’ attorneys, advisors and CPAs work collaboratively on their behalf during the planning process to provide their family peace of mind and confidence. The attorneys at Elville and Associates work with the top Certified Financial Planners, financial advisors, CPAs and other professionals around the country and work to be a reliable partner to them.
Elville and Associates’ attorneys frequently offer free educational workshops throughout central Maryland. Our attorneys are seasoned speakers and share their knowledge over 100 times each year with the communities we serve about a wide range of topics – from our popular “Estate Planning Essentials” workshops, to workshops delving into elder law, retirement planning, estate and trust administration, special needs planning, aging in place versus Continuing Care Retirement Community living, the latest topics of interest in estate planning, and many, many more. Elville and Associates’ attorneys present regularly at financial services firms, libraries, senior centers, employee benefits meetings for companies, expos, special needs organizations, and many more.
The firm also firmly believes in client care and client lifetime maintenance and updating to ensure that planning works as intended. The mission of our Client Care Program (“planning that works”) is to provide our clients with the comfort and assurance that their estate and elder law plans will work no matter how their goals situations may change, and to ensure planning remains consistent with changes in the laws. Elville and Associates is currently one of only a handful of law firms in the country to have an accredited and designed Client Care Program through the Client Maintenance Academy located in Boston.
Elville and Associates – Providing practical solutions to clients in elder law, estate planning, and special needs planning through counseling, education and leading-edge legal technical knowledge.
Attorneys
MEET OUR TEAM
The attorneys at Elville and Associates engage clients in a multi-step educational process to ensure that estate, special needs and elder law planning works from inception, throughout lifetime, and at final administration. Clients are encouraged to take advantage of the Planning Team Concept for leading edge, customized planning. The education of clients and their families through counseling and superior legal-technical knowledge is the mission of Elville and Associates. Proudly serving clients in central Maryland, the Washington metro area, and the Eastern Shore.
Our Story
ELVILLE AND ASSOCIATES ESTATE PLANNING, ELDER LAW AND SPECIAL NEEDS PLANNING
What is Estate Planning?
Estate Planning is not just for the disposing of assets, it is also a way to pass on your values and ideas – your intellectual capital, as well as lifetime beliefs, possibly multi-generational in nature, the things that you (and your ancestors) hold dear.
What is Elder Law?
Elder Law is estate planning for those persons who are ages 55 or above, or for those persons who have a disability or illness. Put another way, generally Elder Law is estate planning for older adults who do not have taxable estates but who are concerned about asset protection in the “Medicaid” context. An Elder Law consultation help address older clients concerns regarding disability and long-term care planning rather than estate tax avoidance. Our Elder Law clients generally do not have estate tax problems - they have long-term care and asset preservation concerns, as well as incapacity management needs.
What is Estate and Trust Administration?
Estate and Trust Administration is arguably the most important aspect of our work at Elville Associates as it represents the final phase of the client’s estate planning. It is at this final administration stage of the estate or elder law plan that assets are distributed in the manner chosen by the client – grandchildren’s education trusts are funded, children’s assets protection trusts (Legacy Trusts) are funded, surviving spouses are provided for, special needs children receive their shares in the proper fashion, estate tax elections are made, and much more. Because of the importance of proper estate and trust administration, it is critical not to “go it alone,” and even more importantly, not to ignore the passage of time, as many critical dates and related actions are required after death.
What is Special Needs Planning?
When addressing a special needs planning situation, be sure to speak with an attorney who understands the nuances of the special needs planning process. Elville and Associates’ Stephen R. Elville, J.D., LL.M., Principal, is a member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners and is highly experienced in the special needs planning arena. Contact our office today with any questions related to your special needs situation.
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Spotlight Articles
The New Maryland Supported Decision Making Law Explained The 2022 Miracle in Annapolis – “It’s a Start”
This spring the Maryland General Assembly delivered a long-overdue victory to persons with disabilities across Maryland, one that will forever change countless thousands of lives. Not unlike Rich Strike’s astounding 80-1 odds come from behind heart-stopping victory in the Kentucky Derby, the Supported Decision Making bill, starting at the back of the legislative pack, survived apathy then eventually tough scrutiny, then in an electrifying turn of events and sentiment down the stretch, crossed the finish line with the approval of the Senate and the House, and by default (no veto by Governor Hogan) will become law on October 11, 2022 – all thanks to the proponents of the Bill, including its driving force, Megan Rusciano, Esq., of Disability Rights Maryland, the lawyer whose tireless and long-standing herculean efforts over most of the last decade has now resulted in a landmark change in Maryland law.
The Power of the Power of Attorney
When most people think about Estate Planning, they think about planning for how their assets (the estate) will be distributed when they die and how to facilitate smooth administration. But Estate Planning encompasses much more – it is also planning for and deciding who will manage your assets during your lifetime, if and when you are incapacitated. It is equally important for you to prepare for a time when you are still living but may be unable to make decisions for yourself -- for your health care and financial matters.
“Just Do” Your Estate Planning – Perfection Will Come Through a Lifetime Process
Lately I’ve been thinking about the theme Elville and Associates has been talking to clients about so much since late 2022 and now into 2023, and that is achieving perfection in estate planning. While this concept is important, and an idea that sets the bar higher than it’s likely ever been set before, it’s important to also understand that the object is not to focus on perfection at the outset – meaning perfectionism is not what I am referring to. This problem is what holds so many people back, and not just in estate planning. Many of us won’t move ahead with something unless we know it’s perfect or otherwise we are afraid we will make a mistake; or, we actually do get started with a project and then don’t finish for various reasons, oftentimes because we want to be perfect or we lack focus; or, perhaps something we don’t want to admit - we are afraid to finish because we’re afraid of what finishing means.