Philosophy and Practice

Susan Michals King believes in helping her clients to manifest their independence and individuality regardless of their age or background. She focuses her practice in the areas of elder law and special needs planning, advising individuals and families in their planning for current and future needs. Utilizing her background in nursing, insurance, education and law, Ms. King provides clients with guidance and counsel in their planning for life care, special needs, long term care, incapacity, and issues involving access to care. Ms. King addresses the concerns of her clients regarding asset protection and inter-generational transfers of wealth through estate planning, personal risk identification and risk management, and planning for public benefits eligibility including;

• Medicaid,
• Supplemental Security Income,
• Social Security Disability Income,
• Social Security Old Age Pension, Medicare, and
• Veterans benefits.

She offers clients peace of mind.

For those clients whose prior planning may be insufficient for their current needs, she provides representation for court determinations of incapacity, court appointed guardianship, and administrative appeals of denials of benefits. Her goal is providing superior service and individualized solutions to client concerns.

In the area of special needs planning, Ms. King utilizes a family centered, life planning approach to advise individuals and families regarding care issues and financial issues. With a focus on helping families to develop flexible plans designed to meet both current and future needs while maximizing the quality of life of special needs individuals as well as their family and care givers, Ms. King assists clients in gaining access to resources which can allow individuals to maintain the greatest degree of independence in living arrangements, social needs and financial matters. She works with clients to help them identify and address actual and potential concerns and risks. Utilizing her background in nursing to provide a preliminary assessment of eligibility based on a clients health and level of care needs, Ms. King helps clients to understand the viability and desirability of accessing the various public benefit programs available. If a client appears to meet this eligibility requirement, Ms. King will work with them to develop and implement a plan for asset protection including the preparation of a variety of documents, including;

• Life Care documents,
• Estate Planning documents,
• Asset Transfer documents, and
• Benefit Application document.

She also reviews and advises clients on Long Term Care Insurance policies, Life Care Community contracts, Assisted Living Facility contracts and Nursing Home contracts.

Professional Experience

In the area of guardianship, Ms. King has represented children and adults both as petitioner and respondent in simple (uncontested) and complex (contested) proceedings in both the probate and civil circuit courts. She has also provided expert witness testimony on the subjects of special needs trusts and attorney fees.

Ms. King has successfully represented clients in cases of benefit denials for both Medicaid and Medicare such that benefits were either awarded or reinstated with back benefits depending upon the facts of the case.

Upon the death of a client Ms. King provides guidance and legal counsel to surviving family members, personal representatives, executors, trustees and beneficiaries with respect to post-mortem management, marshaling property, responding to creditor claims, sale of property, distribution of assets, trust administration for family trustees and winding up of estates.

Ms. King works with clients and their financial advisors when drafting a variety of documents including, but not limited to, 1st party and 3rd party inter-vivos special needs trusts, durable powers of attorney, advanced directives for health care (designation of health care surrogates, living wills, HIPPA releases), family emergency plans, designation of pre-need and stand-by guardians, life-care contracts, testamentary 3rd party special needs trusts, revocable life estate deeds, qualified income trusts for Medicaid, Medicare Set-Aside Trusts, irrevocable life care contracts, pet trusts, elective share trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, qualified personal resident trusts, and wills.

Personal

Prior to attaining her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore, Maryland, Ms. King was licensed as a Registered Nurse and has over 20 years of clinical and administrative experience in critical care, emergency care, neurology and psychiatry. She has worked in the fields of medical and basic science research, education, health care risk management, quality assurance, medical professional liability claims handling and insurance. She earned her baccalaureate degree in chemistry from Florida International University and her nursing degree from Miami-Dade Community College. She spent five years with the American Psychiatric Association-sponsored Professional Liability Insurance Program where she created, implemented and administered a nation-wide program of education and risk management for psychiatrists and neurologists. Ms. King has also participated as a volunteer in the SHINE Program (Serving the Insurance Needs of the Elderly) and as an advisor to the American Health Association. Since establishing her law practice, Ms. King has retired from the field of nursing. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, including her two cats, traveling and knitting.

Activities & Memberships

Academy of Special Needs Planners (ASNP)
National Alliance of Medicare Set-Aside Professionals (NAMSAP)
National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys (AFELA)
The Florida Bar - member of the Elder Law Section; Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section; Administrative Law Section; Tax Section; Practice Management & Development Section; and the General Practice Solo and Small Firm Section
South Palm Beach County Bar Association
Florida Association of Women Lawyers

Bar Admissions

Florida
Maryland

Education

University of Maryland, (J.D.)
Florida International University, (B.S.)
Miami-Dade Community College, (A.S. Nursing)

Firm Description

The attorney and staff of the Law Offices of Susan M. King, P.A., combine expertise in law, health care and risk management to provide our clients with comprehensive legal services to meet their current and future life care goals. Understanding and individual attention are the hallmarks of our practice. We take pride in helping to meet the legal needs of the senior and disabled citizens of South Florida and their families.

Specializing In:

• Planning for Disabled individuals including children and adults with Special Needs
• Elder Law
• Estate Planning
• Medicaid Planning
• Administrative Law
• Guardianship & Probate

Member of:

• Academy of Special Needs Planners (ASNP)
• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
• Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys (AFELA)

Hours

Cost