Find a guide that matches the decision in front of you. Willis Law Group’s resources cover New Jersey and New York elder law, estate planning, Medicaid, trusts, guardianship, and estate administration. Start with the state and topic relevant to your situation, then follow the service link to discuss your circumstances. For local elder law and Medicaid help, explore Hackensack, Jersey City, and Morristown.
Preparing for a meeting? Visit our Client Forms & Intake Resources page for four fillable PDF questionnaires and official New Jersey and New York resource links. Contact our team before completing detailed intake.
Choose your state: New York services and guides for Rockland and Westchester families · New Jersey services and guides. If your family, property, or care arrangements cross the state line, tell us which decisions involve each state.
If you have received a court notice, an agency decision, or another document with a deadline, contact our team promptly and identify the date. Reading a guide or submitting an inquiry does not extend a deadline or establish representation. For local Bergen County guidance, see our Paramus estate-planning, elder-law, and Medicaid page and Ridgewood estate-planning and caregiver guide.
New York Services and Guides for Rockland and Westchester
Use these New York guides when the person needing help lives in New York or the matter involves New York property, documents, or care. Tell us about connections to New Jersey so we can identify which state’s rules require review.
- New York Medicaid planning and application guidance — care settings, financial review, trust questions, records, and pending applications.
- New York Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts — retained rights, home ownership, funding records, trustee decisions, and care timing.
- New York wills, trusts, and estate planning — ownership, trust funding, beneficiaries, and questions about the proposed work.
- New York powers of attorney and health care proxies — financial authority, medical decisions, and existing-document review.
- Rockland County elder law guidance — local care situations, planning questions, and the Pearl River appointment location.
- Westchester County elder law guidance — estate planning, long-term care concerns, and New York next steps.
Our current Rockland meeting location is Office Evolution, 1 Blue Hill Plaza, Lobby Level, Suite 1509, Pearl River, NY 10965, by appointment only. Arrange your meeting and confirm the location before traveling. The New Jersey topic groups below address New Jersey matters; a New York plan requires its own review.
New Jersey: Build or Update Your Estate Plan
Start with the documents, decisions, and cost questions involved in creating a first plan or reviewing an existing one.
- Benefits of Estate Planning and Why It Is Important for Your Family
- Estate Planning Checklist: Documents You Need to Prepare
- What Documents Are Needed for Estate Planning in NJ
- Difference Between Wills and Trusts
- How to Change a Will: Steps to Update Your Estate in New Jersey
- How Much Does an Estate Planning Attorney Cost in New Jersey?
Compare Trusts and Asset Protection Options
Explore trust types, ownership questions, and the limits of asset protection before choosing a structure.
- Understanding the Different Types of Trusts for Estate Planning
- Do I Need a Trust or a Will?
- Trust Protection Myth: Can a Revocable Trust Prevent Lawsuits?
- What Is Considered an Asset in New Jersey?
Explore asset protection services.
Plan Around Your Family and Property
These guides address situations that can call for a more tailored plan, including blended families, substantial assets, and connections across borders.
- Estate Planning for Seniors
- Second Marriage and Blended-Family Estate Planning in NJ
- Estate Planning for Ultra High Net Worth Individuals
- Cross-Border Families: Key Estate Planning Considerations
Get help with a tailored estate plan.
Address Long-Term Care and Medicaid
Find a starting point whether you are planning ahead or a loved one needs care now. Financial and care circumstances affect the available options.
- Qualified Income Trusts (QITs) in New Jersey: Miller Trust and Medicaid Guidance
- Medicaid Pending in New Jersey: Applications, Records, and Next Steps
- Medicaid Crisis Planning When You Need Help Most
- What Is a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust?
- New Jersey Medicaid Estate Recovery: Your Home, Assets, and Planning Options
Need help with an application? Review our New Jersey flat-fee Medicaid application representation, including the analysis before we accept an application matter, support after filing, and reapplication terms defined in the written agreement. For future care decisions, explore our Medicaid planning services.
Review Decision-Making Authority and Guardianship
Understand financial powers of attorney, adult guardianship, urgent court applications, and related cost questions.
- NJ Durable Power of Attorney: Agent, Gift, and Trust Authority
- Power of Attorney vs Guardianship: Which Is Right for You?
- Avoid Guardianship With a Durable Power of Attorney
- How to Secure Legal Guardianship for Adults With Disabilities in NJ
- How to Get Emergency Guardianship of an Adult in New Jersey
- How Much Does a Lawyer Cost for Guardianship in NJ?
Explore adult guardianship representation.
Provide for a Loved One with Special Needs
Learn the purpose of a special needs trust and the questions to discuss when coordinating support with benefit eligibility.
Discuss special needs planning.
Handle an Estate After a Death
Start here if you are an executor, administrator, or family member trying to understand inheritance, probate property, or estate responsibilities.
- What Is a Will Executor and What Do They Do?
- What Happens When Someone Dies Without a Will?
- Do All Estates Go Through Probate, and What Assets Are Included?
- Does New Jersey Have an Inheritance Tax?
Get probate and estate administration help.
Serve as Trustee or Address Financial Concerns
Read about successor trustees, warning signs of exploitation, and concerns involving a power of attorney. The appropriate next step depends on your role and the facts.
- What to Know About Successor Trustees and Trust Planning
- Elder Financial Exploitation: Recognize the Warning Signs
- How to Prove Power of Attorney Abuse and What Is the Penalty for It?
Explore trust administration guidance.
For a contested will, trust, accounting, or fiduciary issue, visit our estate litigation page. The blog provides another way to browse the articles.
Official Resources to Use Alongside These Guides
Use the agency or court responsible for the issue to check instructions, find forms, and prepare questions. A resource may address only one part of a matter; confirm the state, program, document date, and deadline before relying on it. These links are provided for reference and do not imply an affiliation or endorsement.
- New Jersey Medicaid: the NJ FamilyCare ABD document checklist (PDF) identifies starting records; the 2026 MLTSS application guidance (PDF) explains the application review and requests for information.
- New Jersey guardianship: the Bergen County Surrogate’s guardianship resources connect families with court information and statewide tools. Use the proper county for your matter.
- New Jersey estate taxes: the Division of Taxation’s inheritance and estate tax information provides official guidance for estate-related tax questions.
- Special needs planning: Social Security’s SSI Spotlight on Trusts explains how trusts and payments can affect SSI. Medicaid and other benefit programs require their own review.
- New York health care decisions: the New York Attorney General’s advance-directives guide explains health care planning documents and decision-making choices.
- New York wills and estates: New York Courts’ Last Will and Testament guidance is a starting point for understanding a will and handling the original document.
Keep a copy of any notice, application, and records already submitted. Identify missing documents and the person authorized to act. Our team can discuss how the relevant resource relates to your goals, what additional review is needed, and the proposed scope of representation.
Turn Your Questions into a Practical Next Step
Make a short list of your questions and gather any documents you already have. Tell us whether you are planning for yourself, assisting a family member, or acting as an agent, guardian, executor, administrator, or trustee. We can discuss the appropriate scope of assistance and the records needed for an initial meeting.
Visit our team page, find a New Jersey office or Pearl River appointment location, or request an initial meeting. These guides provide general information; applying the law to a particular situation requires an individual review.