Michael Ettinger (Newyork Lawyer)

I've been a member of the New York Bar since 1980, but I didn't start focusing exclusively on elder law estate planning until 1991. Once I made that shift, I realized this was exactly where I wanted to be because elder law estate planning is one of the most professionally satisfying areas of law you can practice. When you do it properly, clients walk away with an enormous sense of gratification and peace of mind, which doesn't happen in every area of legal work. The way I approach this is by emphasizing trusts rather than wills, and there's a specific reason for that structure. Trusts help clients preserve and protect their assets from the expense and delay of probate, and at the same time we're making sure that everything they've worked for isn't lost to nursing home expenses and taxes. Those two concerns come up in almost every consultation I have with families. My experience in estate planning and elder law has allowed me to build a successful practice as President of Ettinger Law Firm, and we've expanded to twelve office locations throughout New York State at this point. I've written for respected legal publications like the New York State Bar Journal, and I've published over two hundred articles on estate planning and elder law subjects over the years. I currently serve as a contributor to the bestselling book Understanding Living Trusts, which is published by Schumacher.