Danielle Leventhal Elias

Estate Planning is an essential service for anyone seeking to secure their financial future and ensure their wishes are respected, even when they are no longer there to make their wishes known. Our firm specializes in crafting personalized estate plans that align with your unique circumstances and goals. We offer comprehensive services, including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives.

Our experienced attorneys understand the complexities of estate law and are equipped to handle everything from straightforward asset distributions to more complex situations involving business interests and multiple jurisdictions. We are committed to providing clear, straightforward advice and ensuring that your estate plan provides peace of mind for you and your loved ones.

Last Will and Testament
A Last Will outlines how your assets will be distributed and who will care for minor children. We help you create a Will that reflects your wishes and complies with legal requirements.

• Ensures your assets go to your chosen beneficiaries.
• Appoints guardians for minor children or dependents.
• Provides for loved ones with special needs or creditor issues.
• Must meet legal requirements to be valid in court.

Pour-Over Will
Used with a trust, a pour-over will ensures any assets not already in your trust are transferred there after death. It helps simplify probate and protect privacy.

• Transfers remaining assets into a trust, streamlining probate.
• Protects your privacy by minimizing exposure to probate.

Advance Directives
Advance directives name an agent and express your medical and financial wishes if you're unable to decide. Without them, a court-appointed guardian may take over your care.

• Tells others how to care for you if you can't decide for yourself.
• Includes living wills, healthcare proxies, and powers of attorney.

Durable Power of Attorney
This document allows someone you trust to handle legal and financial matters if you’re incapacitated. It stays valid even if you can no longer make decisions.

• Authorizes someone to manage legal and financial affairs.
• Remains in effect if you become incapacitated.

Health Care Proxy
Appoints someone to make medical decisions if you're unable. Ensures care aligns with your values.

• Designates someone to make healthcare decisions.
• Activates when you're unable to decide for yourself.
• Accepted by hospitals, nursing homes, and other providers.

Living Will
Outlines your preferences for life-sustaining treatment if you’re unable to speak for yourself. While not binding in NY, it guides your health care agent’s decisions.

• Not legally binding in NY—appointing a healthcare agent is essential.
• Describes your wishes for life-sustaining care.
• Guides care when you can’t give consent.

HIPAA Release and Authorization
Lets your chosen agents access your medical records, enabling them to make informed decisions and assist in your care.

• Grants access to your private medical information.
• Helps health care proxies and guardians manage care.

Trusts
Trusts hold and manage assets for others. They help avoid probate, reduce taxes, and protect against legal claims.

• Includes revocable, irrevocable, asset protection, and other trusts.
• Can reduce estate taxes and avoid probate court.

Irrevocable Trusts
These trusts can’t be changed without the beneficiary’s approval. Commonly used for tax planning and asset protection, such as Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts.

• Protects assets for your beneficiaries.
• Offers tax and creditor protection.

Asset Protection Trusts
These trusts shield your assets from lawsuits and creditors, and may help with Medicaid eligibility.

• Protects assets from legal and financial threats.
• Useful for high-risk jobs or Medicaid planning.

Living Trusts/Revocable Trusts
You maintain control during your life and name who receives assets after death. These trusts avoid probate and can be updated anytime.

• Lets you manage your assets and make changes during your life.
• Avoids probate while providing flexibility.
• Names a successor trustee to manage assets if needed.

High Net Worth Tax Planning
Helps reduce taxes on large estates through a personalized strategy that includes estate and investment planning.

• Minimizes estate, gift, and other taxes.
• Combines tax, estate, and investment strategies.

Charitable Planning and Trusts
Integrates philanthropy into estate planning through charitable trusts, offering tax benefits while supporting causes you care about.

• Supports charitable goals through your estate plan.
• Provides tax advantages and creates a legacy.

Advance Directives for 18-Year-Old Child
Allows parents or agents to make decisions for young adults if they become incapacitated. Important for students, young adults, or those with disabilities.

• Health care proxies and powers of attorney let parents assist if needed.

Navigating probate and estate administration can be difficult during a time of loss. Our law firm offers experienced, compassionate guidance through every step. Whether you're an executor handling estate duties or a beneficiary seeking clarity, we’re here to help. We handle Surrogate’s Court filings, Will validation, asset distribution, estate taxes, and disputes with both empathy and efficiency—always with the goal of honoring the decedent’s wishes and meeting legal obligations.

Probate Administration
Probate is the court-supervised process of managing and distributing an estate when there’s a valid Will. This includes validating the Will, identifying assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing what’s left to beneficiaries. We help executors through every step.

• The probate process manages and distributes assets according to the Will.
• We support executors with legal and administrative responsibilities.

Probate without a Will (Intestacy)
When someone dies without a Will, the court appoints an administrator to handle the estate under state intestacy laws. This process can be complex and must follow strict legal standards. We help administrators secure assets, follow the law, and complete the distribution.

• We guide estate distribution according to state law when no Will exists.
• We support court-appointed administrators throughout the process.

Trust Administration
Trust administration involves managing and distributing trust assets according to the trust document and legal requirements. It doesn't involve court oversight but still requires care and legal diligence. We help trustees carry out their roles and avoid disputes.

• We manage trust administration based on the trust’s terms.
• We advise trustees on their responsibilities and legal compliance.

Trustee/Fiduciary Assistance
Trustees and fiduciaries must act in the best interest of beneficiaries or the person they serve. Mistakes can lead to legal risk. We support fiduciaries—like trustees or agents under a power of attorney—to fulfill their duties and avoid liability.

• We assist fiduciaries with managing duties and responsibilities.
• We help avoid legal issues and ensure proper asset or trust management.

Elder Law focuses on the unique legal needs of older adults and their families. We offer expert guidance on guardianship, long-term care, retirement, and social security. Our attorneys help protect assets, plan for healthcare, and ensure dignity and autonomy through personalized legal strategies.

Long Term Care Planning
Prepares you for healthcare needs and costs as you age—without compromising your finances or placing strain on loved ones. We help explore insurance, Medicaid planning, and asset protection strategies.

• Addresses future care needs and expenses.
• Includes options like insurance, Medicaid, and asset protection.

Advance Directives
Legal documents that name agents and outline your healthcare and financial wishes if you can’t make decisions. Without them, a court-appointed guardian may decide for you.

• Includes healthcare proxies and living wills to guide medical care.
• Also includes powers of attorney for financial decisions.

Transfer of Home
Legally changes ownership of your home—often to a relative or trust—as part of estate or Medicaid planning. We help you choose the right method and understand the tax and legal implications.

• Useful for estate and Medicaid planning.
• Requires careful consideration of tax and legal consequences.

Medicaid Assistance
We simplify the Medicaid process, helping you understand coverage, enroll properly, and coordinate with other insurance.

• We guide you through Medicaid eligibility and enrollment.
• We help you select plans and understand how they interact with other coverage.

Medicaid planning is essential for protecting assets while qualifying for long-term care benefits. We help individuals and families meet Medicaid’s strict requirements through strategies like asset transfers, trusts, and legal planning. Our goal is to secure healthcare benefits without depleting your resources.

Community/Home Care Medicaid Applications
Home care Medicaid provides support for those needing assistance at home. We help with applications for services like personal care and assisted living, ensuring paperwork is complete and eligibility is met.

• We assist with Medicaid applications for home care and community-based benefits.
• We ensure proper documentation to reduce the risk of denial or delay.

Nursing Home Medicaid Applications
Medicaid can cover nursing home costs for those who qualify. We guide clients through the complex application process, ensuring all financial records are in order and eligibility is maintained.

• We help with nursing home Medicaid applications to secure needed long-term care.
• We assist with asset management and financial documentation.

Pooled Income Trust Assistance
Pooled income trusts help Medicaid applicants who earn over the monthly income limit pay for living expenses while keeping their benefits. These trusts are managed by nonprofits and allow beneficiaries to use income for rent, bills, and personal needs.

• We help set up and manage pooled income trusts to maintain Medicaid eligibility.
• We ensure compliance with Medicaid rules while meeting the client’s needs.

Recertification/Renewal Assistance for Medicaid
Ongoing Medicaid benefits require timely renewals and updated paperwork. We help clients complete recertifications correctly to avoid benefit disruptions.

• We assist with Medicaid renewals and recertifications to prevent lapses in coverage.
• We prepare and submit required financial documents on your behalf.

Our firm offers comprehensive real estate legal services to guide you through buying, selling, or transferring property. We handle negotiations, closings, and deed transfers with care and precision. Whether you're facing a simple transaction or a complex issue, we ensure your interests are protected every step of the way.

Deed Transfers
Deed transfers legally change property ownership—commonly for sales, gifts, transfers to trusts, or estate planning. We manage the full process, from drafting to recording the deed, while helping you understand the tax and legal implications.

• We ensure property ownership is legally and accurately transferred.
• We handle deed drafting, execution, and recording to prevent title issues.

Co-op Transfers
Unlike standard property sales, co-op transfers involve shares in a housing corporation. We help clients meet co-op board requirements, process documentation, and secure necessary approvals.

• We manage the transfer of co-op shares with full legal compliance.
• We guide you through varying co-op board rules and approval processes.

Closings
Closings finalize real estate transactions, transferring ownership and completing financial terms. We represent buyers, sellers, and lenders to ensure everything is done properly and on time.

• We handle the legal side of closing real estate deals, avoiding last-minute issues.
• We ensure documents are accurate, compliant, and funds are securely transferred.