Law Office of Shannon DeWall

Estate Planning & Elder Law Attorney in Livonia, Michigan

The Law Office of Shannon DeWall, PLLC is a Livonia practice focused on estate planning, elder law, Medicaid and long-term-care planning, special-needs planning, guardianships and conservatorships, probate, and trust administration. Attorney Shannon DeWall works with individuals and families planning ahead as well as those confronting an immediate change in an older or disabled family member's circumstances.

The practice is particularly relevant for families whose estate-planning concerns have become intertwined with aging, declining capacity, long-term-care needs, or public benefits. DeWall's background includes 17 years as a genetic counselor before entering legal practice, giving her professional experience with healthcare issues in addition to her work as an elder-law and estate-planning attorney.

When an Aging Parent Suddenly Needs More Care

A parent's needs can change gradually or almost overnight. A fall, hospitalization, dementia diagnosis, or increasing difficulty living independently may leave adult children trying to determine whether a parent can remain at home, needs assisted living, or requires nursing-home care.

DeWall's elder-care and life-care planning work addresses the legal and practical issues that arise during these transitions. The practice considers the older person's care needs alongside estate planning, decision-making authority, available resources, and the family's longer-term objectives.

This can be especially useful when relatives are trying to solve several problems simultaneously. The immediate concern may be finding appropriate care, while the family is also trying to understand who has authority to make decisions, how care will be paid for, and what legal planning should be completed or reviewed.

When the Cost of Long-Term Care Becomes a Financial Concern

Families can be caught off guard by the cost of nursing-home, assisted-living, or other long-term care. Questions about Medicaid often arise only after a parent has already experienced a significant decline and the family realizes that care may be needed for an extended period.

DeWall handles both proactive and crisis Medicaid planning. For families planning in advance, the goal may be to understand how long-term-care expenses and Medicaid rules fit into a broader estate and financial plan. In a crisis situation, the questions are more immediate because someone may already need substantial care.

Her practice also includes asset-preservation planning associated with long-term-care needs. These matters require consideration of the individual's assets, care circumstances, timing, and applicable Medicaid requirements rather than assuming that the same strategy is appropriate for every family.

When Dementia Makes Independent Decision-Making Impossible

A power of attorney can allow someone to choose who should assist with financial or other decisions if incapacity occurs. But families sometimes reach a crisis and discover that adequate authority was never established while their parent or other relative still had the ability to make those arrangements.

DeWall handles guardianship and conservatorship proceedings when court involvement becomes necessary. A guardianship generally concerns authority over personal decisions, while a conservatorship addresses management of financial affairs.

For families dealing with dementia or another condition affecting decision-making capacity, these proceedings can become necessary when important decisions still have to be made but the individual can no longer manage independently.

Estate planning before a crisis can reduce the likelihood that relatives will have to resolve questions about authority at the same time they are coping with a family member's declining health.

Providing for a Family Member With Disabilities

Leaving an inheritance to a person with disabilities can require additional planning, particularly when the beneficiary receives or may need means-tested government benefits.

DeWall handles special-needs planning for families seeking to provide financial resources for a disabled beneficiary while taking public-benefit considerations into account. Trust planning can provide a structure for managing resources rather than simply leaving an inheritance outright.

This issue can arise for parents planning for a child with lifelong support needs, but it is not limited to minor children. Families may need to consider how an adult beneficiary will be supported and who will be responsible for managing resources after the people currently providing care are no longer able to do so.

When a Will and Power of Attorney Are No Longer Enough to Ignore

Estate planning can be easy to postpone while everyone in the family is healthy. The need becomes more apparent when a spouse or parent begins having difficulty managing finances, experiences a serious medical event, or starts requiring assistance with everyday decisions.

DeWall prepares estate plans that include wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and related documents. These arrangements can address what happens to property after death while also establishing authority for circumstances that may arise during life.

For older clients, the two sides of planning are often closely connected. Deciding who eventually receives property is important, but so is determining who can act if the client becomes unable to manage financial, legal, or healthcare matters independently.

When You Become Responsible for a Parent's Trust

A trust may help determine how property is managed and transferred, but someone still has to carry out its instructions after the person who created it dies.

DeWall assists trustees with trust administration. A successor trustee may need to determine what property is held in the trust, understand the trust's instructions, address administrative responsibilities, and eventually distribute assets to the appropriate beneficiaries.

For an adult child who has never served as trustee before, the role can involve considerably more responsibility than anticipated. The trustee is no longer simply the person a parent named in an estate document years earlier; that person is now responsible for putting the plan into effect.

When a Loved One's Estate Must Go Through Probate

When someone dies with property requiring probate, a family member or other representative may need to work through the Michigan probate process before the estate can be settled.

DeWall handles probate administration for estates involving individuals who died with or without a will. Administration can involve establishing the appropriate authority to act for the estate, addressing estate property and obligations, and completing the steps necessary before assets can ultimately be distributed.

The firm's available information is inconsistent about contested estate work, so DeWall's practice is best characterized here as probate administration rather than probate litigation. Families dealing with an active will contest or other contested-estate lawsuit should determine separately whether litigation representation is available.

Planning for Aging Before It Becomes a Crisis

DeWall's estate and elder-law practice allows families to address issues that often develop at different stages of aging. A client may initially need a conventional estate plan, later have questions about long-term care or Medicaid, and eventually require assistance with trust or estate administration.

Shannon DeWall's earlier career as a genetic counselor also gives her a professional background in healthcare. For 17 years, she worked with patients navigating genetic testing and healthcare decisions before becoming an attorney.

Her current professional involvement includes the State Bar of Michigan's Elder Law and Disability Rights Section and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. She also serves on the board of Springhill Pooled Accounts Trust, reflecting the disability-planning component of her practice.

Serving Livonia & Families Across Southeast Michigan

From its Livonia office, the Law Office of Shannon DeWall works with individuals and families throughout Wayne, Oakland, and Livingston counties. The firm serves clients in Livonia, Plymouth, Northville, Howell, and other communities across Southeast Michigan with estate planning, probate, elder law, Medicaid planning, and related legal matters.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Elder Law

• Wills

• Trusts

• Powers of Attorney

• Medicaid Planning

• Crisis Medicaid Planning

• Long-Term-Care Planning

• Asset Preservation Planning

• Elder Care & Life Care Planning

• Special Needs Planning

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships

• Probate Administration

• Trust Administration