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Dennis M. Sandoval, A Professional
Law Corporation, is one of only a few law firms in the Inland
Empire that has expertise in three areas of concern to many
seniors and disabled individuals – estate planning,
elder law and taxes.
The principal of the firm, Dennis M. Sandoval,
is the only attorney in California that is a certified specialist
in all three of these areas of the law. He is certified by
the California Bar Board of Legal Specialization as both a
Certified Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Specialist
and a Certified Taxation Law Specialist. He is one of only
two Certified Taxation Law Specialists in Riverside County.
He is also one of only two Certified Elder Law Attorneys (CELA)
that practice in Riverside County. CELAs are certified through
the National Elder Law Foundation. Dennis M. Sandoval, A Professional
Law Corporation, is also the only law firm in Riverside County
with a Professional Geriatric Care Manager on staff. Our Geriatric
Care Manager, Karen Griffith, has a bachelors degree in social
work and has over eighteen years of experience working with
the disabled and elderly.
Estate planning is much more than just drafting
wills. It involves life as well as death planning. The drama
surrounding the life and death of Terri Schiavo, which was
in the news frequently in the past few years, teaches us the
necessity of addressing issues surrounding health care decision
making, providing for financial security during a period of
disability or incapacity and end-of-life decisions. Whether
you believe Terri Schiavo should have been allowed to live
or that she should have had her feeding tube removed, you
don’t want to have to place your loved ones in the same
position as in Terri’s case. Our firm can provide you
with Advance Health Directives and HIPAA Authorization Forms
that will assure you and your family are not placed in the
same predicament.
For those individuals that own their own
businesses, there is the issue of how and when to pass on
the business to the next generation – while also treating
those family members that are not active in the business fairly.
Those individuals with significant wealth may be concerned
about how to protect that wealth from creditors – as
well as from divorcing spouses. Our firm specializes in planning
for the wealth transfer and asset protection needs of business
owners and various professionals.
Families with disabled children and grandchildren
need to address the issue of how to preserve any government
benefits the disabled beneficiary may be entitled to while
also setting aside a nest egg to provide for those needs that
are not covered through these programs. For those that did
not plan ahead, there is the issue of how to preserve an inheritance
for a disabled beneficiary (through use of a trust reformation
or a (d)(4)(A) special needs trust or (d)(4)(C) pooled trust).
Finally, there is the issue of how to preserve government
assistance for a disabled beneficiary who has received a legal
settlement relating to his or her injuries. Our firm has substantial
experience in assisting disabled individuals to preserve their
government benefits.
There is also the issue of how to encourage
family members to become productive members of society and
how to discourage unproductive behavior, possibly through
the use of incentive provision in a trust. Many individuals
also want to benefit their favorite charities during life
and/or at death. We can help you structure your estate plan
in such a way to benefit the charity and to encourage productive
behavior from your children and grandchildren.
Of course, an element of estate planning
has always been that of probate avoidance and the reduction
or elimination of estate taxes. We can show you how to reduce
or eliminate any estate tax and also avoid probate. Where
there is disagreement among family members, there may be issues
relating to the mediation of the dispute, and in some cases
– litigation may be required. Our firm has represented
both the trustee / executor defending the trust or will as
well as the beneficiary seeking redress of a wrong.
For the family members of those individuals
who did not have the foresight to plan ahead, there are issues
relating to estate administration and probate. Our firm has
represented executors with their probate proceedings throughout
the Inland Empire.
When many people think of elder law, they
think of planning to obtain Medi-Cal benefits, and that is
a big part of our elder law practice. We are among the most
experienced firms in Riverside County with regard to designing
and implementing Medi-Cal asset protection plans.
Our firm also handles appeals of denial of
benefits such as Medi-Cal, Supplemental Security Income (SSI),
In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) and Social Security Disability
Income (SSDI). Where it is necessary, we can appear on your
behalf before any California Court or before an administrative
law judge to advocate on your behalf.
But the practice of elder law is much, much
more than just planning to obtain government assistance.
In many cases a conservatorship is necessary
for to assist seniors with dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease
or other related ailments. Where a disabled person is in needs
to establish an estate plan or wants to obtain government
benefits, but cannot do so on their own because of mental
incapacity, a conservatorship may be the only solution. A
conservatorship of the person or the estate may also be necessary
to protect the welfare of a senior or disabled individual.
Our office is available to assist your loved ones with the
establishment of a conservatorship where one would prove beneficial
to the disabled individual. We are also available to defend
against the establishment of a conservatorship where one is
not needed.
Financial elder abuse is an area of growing
concern. Family members and other individuals who have a close
relationship with a disabled individual or senior often times
use that relationship to obtain the individual’s assets.
This often involves the improper use of a financial power
of attorney. Our firm is available to help the senior or disabled
person recover the funds that have been taken from them.
Dennis M. Sandoval, A Professional Law Corporation,
is among the most experienced firm in the Inland Empire regarding
the establishment of third party special needs trusts, as
well as (d)(4)(A) trusts and (d)(4)(C) “pooled trusts”
in order to protect the assets of disabled individuals. Even
more importantly, we have the knowledge necessary to advise
the trustees of such trust on the proper administration of
these trusts. This is especially important, since an improper
distribution from one of these trusts could cause the disabled
beneficiary to lose his or her government assistance.
Our Professional Geriatric Care Manager is
available to assist you with the selection of a nursing home
or assisted care facility. She is available to assist with
determining appropriate financing methods, including private
pay, reverse mortgages, long term care insurance, Medicare
and Medi-Cal. Our Geriatric Care Manager, Karen Griffith,
is also available to make home assessments for those disabled
and senior individuals intending to remain in the home as
well as to attend care meetings at assisted care and nursing
homes and to advocate for the best care available for our
clients at those meetings.
Planning for reduction of taxes is a concern
to almost everyone. Dennis Sandoval is among the most knowledgeable
tax planning professionals in the Inland Empire, whether it
be for individual income tax planning, business income tax
planning, gift tax planning or estate tax planning. He has
obtained a Master of Tax Law (LL.M.) cum laude from Golden
Gate University College of Law and he has been an Enrolled
Agent (EA) since the early 90’s.
Dennis Sandoval has over twenty years experience
representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB), Board of Equalization
(BOE), Employment Development Division (EDD) and various county
assessors’ offices. He can represent you in any income
tax, estate tax, gift tax, sales tax and property tax matter.
He can handle tax matters ranging from tax audits and appeals
through litigated tax cases.
Our firm has been involved in representing
clients in litigated tax cases before the United States Tax
Court, the United States District Courts for Southern and
Central California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and
the California Superior Court and Court of Appeals. We have
also handled many administrative appeal proceedings.
© 2005 Dennis M. Sandoval, A Professional
Law Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer — This website is intended to provide legal information
only; legal information is not legal advice and you should
contact qualified legal counsel prior to implementing any
estate planning or asset protection strategies. The transmission
or receipt of information to or from this website is not intended
to create, and does not create or constitute, an attorney-client
relationship. No portion of this website may be reproduced
in any manner other than for the private use of the site reader
without the prior express written consent of Dennis M. Sandoval,
a Professional Law Corporation.
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