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Who We Are
Commonwealth Elder Law is now Elder Law Lawyers

We are Dedicated to Providing Our Clients With the Best Legal Counsel

Elder Law Lawyers concentrates our practice on elder law including Medicaid planning and special needs trusts.

You Can Count on Us for Guidance with Medicaid Planning and Special Needs Trusts


Many people think the only way to pay for ongoing care for an aging loved one is to dip into life savings or to sell their home. We use our deep knowledge of Elder Law to secure your assets with a comprehensive plan so you can qualify for Medicaid, protecting your family’s estate.

Standard Wills and Trusts secure our assets and protect our estates to plan our legacy. For those who have a dependent with special needs, preparing a standard Will could unintentionally jeopardize their ongoing benefits. Working with an attorney at Elder Law Lawyers will ensure your dependent's existing benefits will be preserved and there will be no surprises.

Betsy Browning
Betsy Browning Office Manager | Paralegal

Betsy is responsible for the smooth and cohesive function of Elder Law Lawyers. Whether managing the daily operations of the office, assisting clients, coordinating Veteran’s benefits or providing paralegal support to our attorneys, Betsy is an integral part of the success of our firm.

Jane B. Cullen
Jane B. Cullen Accountant

Jane handles all of our office’s daily accounting functions. She also performs the accounting for all of our First Party Special Needs Trusts, as well as the Kentucky Guardianship Association, Inc. Special Needs Pooled Trust. Jane has been employed by McClelland and Associates since 2005. Her experience is valuable in keeping our office running smoothly.

Dawna Alford
Dawna Alford Administrative Assistant

Dawna is our first line of client communication. She always has a smile on her face and a kind voice to greet our clients on the telephone. Performing many administrative duties such as managing the appointment calendar, transcription for our attorneys, initializing and maintaining client files, Dawna provides valuable office support to all our staff.

Laura Helvey
Laura Helvey Medicaid Specialist

Laura brings 25 years’ experience working at the Kentucky CHFS (Cabinet for Health and Family Services), the agency responsible for determining eligibility for Medicaid. Most of her career has been focused on long-term care and she is very knowledgeable in Kentucky Medicaid policy and regulations. Laura helps guide clients, filing complex Medicaid applications and simplifying the processes critical for success.

Barbara Baumgardner
Barbara Baumgardner Associate Elder Care Coordinator

With more than 30 years’ experience in the medical field as a Licensed Dietician and Diabetes Educator, Barb offers our clients a patient and kind demeanor needed to assist them through the complexities of the long term care application process. Barb’s invaluable keen attention to detail helps ease the strain of this application process for our clients.

Steve Adriance
Steve Adriance Marketing Director

Steve joined the firm during 2020 and contributes proven results developing creative solutions to communication challenges across high profile commercial, industrial, agency, and corporate environments. He brings 30 years of experience in marketing, sales and public relations including six years managing an in-house production services group for a Fortune 500 company.