Mr. Karp, who turns 60 next month and practices elder law, agrees.

The three major categories that make up elder law are:

Such trusts require the expertise of a member of the "elder law" bar and must be administered with great care.

"You can have someone say they know elder law, but what if they've never handled a case with long-term care insurance?"

There's a need for specialists in elder law, gerontologists, geriatric social workers.

So it's important to make sure you have an attorney conversant in the field of elder law.

Gill now heads the newly merged group's elder law team.

It overlaps to some degree with elder law, which additionally includes other provisions such as long-term care.

"Right now only 38 law schools out of 175 accredited institutions have separate courses in elder law," she said.

It's a good idea to work with a lawyer who specializes in elder law when determining Medicaid eligibility.