Patrick Nolan is an estate‑planning attorney serving families across Northeast Missouri. After a decade in criminal and family law and a prior career as an award‑winning journalist, he now focuses on preventative law by helping clients avoid court through wills, trusts, Medicaid and elder‑law planning, and VA pension and disability counseling and coaching. A veteran and community volunteer, Patrick combines personal insight with legal expertise to protect what you value most.
Asset Risks and the Reality of Missouri Medicaid It doesn’t take long for nursing home bills to hollow out a lifetime’s work. Six thousand dollars a month is standard in…
Estate Planning Is About People, Not Just Paper Most folks see estate planning as paperwork. A will, a trust, powers of attorney—documents to fill out, signatures to chase. That’s the…
Quick Answer: If you become incapacitated in Missouri without a durable power of attorney or funded trust, your bank accounts freeze, your real estate can't be sold or refinanced, and…
Quick Answer: In Missouri, Medicaid cannot force a sale of your home during your lifetime if you or a qualifying family member lives there—but Missouri's Medicaid Estate Recovery Program (RSMo…
Quick Answer: Missouri guardianship for a disabled adult is a court process governed by RSMo Chapter 475 that grants a guardian legal authority to make personal and health care decisions…
Quick Answer: The day your child turns 18 in Missouri, you lose all legal authority to access their medical records, speak with their doctors, or manage their finances—even in an…
Quick Answer: A MO ABLE account is a tax-advantaged savings account for Missourians with disabilities that began before age 26, authorized under RSMo Chapter 166 and the federal ABLE Act…
Quick Answer: A Missouri Special Needs Trust (Supplemental Needs Trust) holds assets for a disabled beneficiary without those assets counting toward SSI's $2,000 resource limit or Medicaid eligibility thresholds. Because…
Quick Answer: A Missouri estate plan that only divides assets misses half the job. Real legacy includes the values that built the wealth, the stories behind the land, the charitable…
Quick Answer: Online estate planning forms look cheap and easy—until they don't work. In Missouri, a will signed without two disinterested witnesses is invalid under RSMo § 474.320. Generic powers…