Special Needs Planning for Your Loved One's Future
How We Help Florida Families with Special Needs Planning
For parents, grandparents, siblings, and caregivers across Pensacola and Florida, our special needs trust attorneys build clear, flexible plans for loved ones with special needs. Each plan is shaped around the person it's meant to support.
We walk you through every decision at a pace that works for you, and we explain each option in everyday terms.
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Parents and grandparents planning for a child or grandchild
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Siblings and caregivers who want a plan in place
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Families protecting an inheritance or settlement
Planning Built Around the Person You Love
Every special needs plan starts with the person it supports. We'll help you protect benefits, provide for their future, and feel confident about what comes next.
What to Expect From Our Team
Your consultation starts with your loved one and your family. From there, we recommend a plan designed to help protect benefits and provide for their future.
Coordinated Estate Planning
We bring together special needs trusts, wills, and health care planning into one plan built around your family's circumstances.
Keeping Your Plan Current
Life changes, and so do the laws. Our Client Care Program helps keep your plan reviewed and updated so it continues to work for your family.
Benefit-Conscious Trust Design
We structure special needs trusts that follow Florida law and are designed to help protect essential public benefits.
Guidance in Plain Language
Our attorneys take time to understand your loved one's needs, your family's situation, and your goals. Then we explain your options so you can decide with confidence.
Keeping Your Plan Current
Life changes, and so do the laws. Our Client Care Program helps keep your plan reviewed and updated so it continues to work for your family.
Guidance in Plain Language
Our attorneys take time to understand your loved one's needs, your family's situation, and your goals. Then we explain your options so you can decide with confidence.
Planning Options for Your Family
Third-Party Special Needs Trust
We help parents and grandparents set up a trust funded with family assets. It's designed to help protect a loved one's benefit eligibility while providing for their long-term quality of life.
First-Party Special Needs Trust
We help families set up a trust for a loved one's own assets, such as an inheritance or settlement. It's designed to help them keep qualifying for public benefits.
Complete Special Needs Estate Plan
We coordinate a trust, guardianship nominations, powers of attorney, and beneficiary designations into one plan built around your loved one's specific needs.
Letter of Intent and Caregiver Guide
Download our free step-by-step workbook for leaving written instructions about your loved one's routines, preferences, and care needs, so future caregivers and trustees can carry on with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a special needs trust?
A special needs trust, also called a supplemental needs trust, holds money or property for a person with a disability. It can pay for things that improve their life without counting as their personal resources, which can help them keep benefits like SSI and Medicaid.
Can I leave money directly to my child?
An outright inheritance may affect your child's eligibility for needs-based benefits. A properly structured special needs trust can help you provide for them while taking those benefit rules into account.
What is the difference between a third-party and a first-party special needs trust?
A third-party trust is funded with money that never belonged to your loved one, such as your own assets, and remaining funds can pass to the family members you choose. A first-party trust is funded with your loved one's own money, such as a settlement, and generally requires remaining funds to repay Medicaid.
Who should serve as trustee?
A trustee should be someone reliable, organized, and comfortable following the trust's rules. Many families name a trusted relative or friend, a professional trustee, or a combination of both, and it's always wise to name a backup trustee as well. If you've been named trustee, learn how our Trust Administration services can help.
Do you handle Social Security disability claims?
No. We focus on legal planning for your loved one's future and can refer you to a specialist for help with a Social Security disability claim.
What happens when my child turns 18?
When a child turns 18, the law treats them as an adult. Parents can no longer make medical, educational, or financial decisions for them without legal authority. For many families, a guardian advocate proceeding gives parents that authority in a simpler, lower-cost way than full guardianship. We can walk you through your options and the right timing for your family. Learn about guardian advocate proceedings.
Can I set up a special needs trust with an online service?
Online forms can't account for your loved one's benefits, your family's goals, or Florida law. A trust that isn't structured correctly can put eligibility for SSI and Medicaid at risk. An attorney can tailor the trust to your situation and help you fund and manage it.
Can a special needs trust be set up in a will?
Yes. A will can create a special needs trust that takes effect after you pass away, often called a testamentary special needs trust. It can help you provide for a loved one without leaving money to them directly. We can help you decide whether a trust in your will or a trust created now is the better fit.