Offit Kurman Increases Its Elder Law Practice; Three Well Known Paralegals Affiliate with the Firm
Offit Kurman's Elder Law practice has affiliated with three paralegals who have focused on planning services for the elderly and their families. Valorie Leeb, founder of Accent on Elder Law and the two paralegals working with her, Sherry Rush and Daphne Vasold, have provided personalized services to older adults and the families that care for them.
Maurice Offit, principal of Offit Kurman and head of the Estates and Trust practice remarked "This affiliation makes the Offit Kurman Elder Law practice one of the largest in the area, with three attorneys and three paralegals. This is another strategic alliance that helps us reach our goal of being the best Trust and Estate group in Maryland."
Ms. Leeb a paralegal and Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), Ms. Leeb has been focusing on elder care planning and Medicaid eligibility since 1995. Ms. Leeb holds a degree in Business Administration with a focus on Paralegal Studies. She has further education in the areas of Gerontology with special interest in the study of the aged population. Ms. Leeb has served on the Board of Directors for the Harford County Department of Social Services and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Baltimore County Guardianship Review Board. She is able to help her clients understand the impact of Medicare and secondary insurances because she is qualified as a health insurance agent. Ms. Leeb is an associate member of the Maryland Bar Association and also the founder of Greater Baltimore Senior Alliance.
Ms. Rush, a paralegal and Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), has focused on the area of elder care since 1998. In her role as Medicaid Supervisor for HCR Manor Care and later as a paralegal, she helped numerous families obtain Medicaid benefits. Ms. Rush possesses an excellent working knowledge of both federal and state Medicaid laws and is an associate member of the Maryland Bar Association.
Ms. Vasold is a paralegal who has worked in various facets of elder care since 2000, as a researcher and administrative liaison. Her career began as an estate planning secretary then continued as a Medicaid Liaison for HCR Manor Care giving her valuable insight into managing the various aspects of a Medicaid case. Ms. Vasold brings extraordinary investigative talents to the team of professionals. She is also an associate member of the Maryland Bar Association.
The three affiliates have been known for their devotion to clients, personalized service, and their ability to work productively with individuals and nursing homes alike to ensure smooth and timely eligibility for Medicaid to ensure coverage of a patient's nursing home bills. They also bring strong business relationships with financial institutions and the insurance industry which are critical areas within the Medicaid process and in providing long term care services for clients.
"This strategic affiliation enables Offit Kurman's Elder Law Practice to help more families with a loved one in a nursing home understand how to obtain State coverage of the nursing home care costs while protecting the assets of the family." says Raj Goel, Elder Care Practice leader.
Valorie Leeb added, "This affiliation will bring significant benefits to our clients; we will be able to offer them more services like trusts, wills and litigation support while retaining our well known personalized service."
The practice of Elder Law helps families who are faced with elder care decisions for themselves or their aging parents create plans that address medical decision making and finances. For those in high risk groups elder care professionals work to create an effective long term care plan for asset management, health care decision making and paying for care.