In 2001, Wes Coulson realized his career ambition of establishing a law firm that would focus on the needs of families. He understood the financial challenges we face as we grow older. He realized how much it means to people to be able to make life better for their children, grandchildren, and other loved ones.
Since graduating from the University of Michigan Law School in 1978, Wes had been assisting families in meeting their estate planning needs and goals. Wes realized that every family was different. Some were large, others small. Some were traditional, while others illustrated the ways in which the concept of family is being gradually redefined in modern American life. Many families included someone with special needs. Some families had to deal with the concern of potential estate tax liabilities, while others would need to win the lottery for that to become an issue. Wes took great pride in developing estate plans designed to meet the very individual needs and goals of the clients he was privileged to serve.
In the early 1990s, Wes began noticing a disturbing trend. Clients who needed nursing home care often lost not just the opportunity to realize their planning goals, but their dignity as well. Despite a lifetime of hard work, savings, and doing without in order to make life better for their children and grandchildren, they ended up experiencing the same poverty they had endured in their youth, growing up in the Great Depression. Worse still, they died unable to experience the peace of mind that comes with being able to leave a financial legacy for one’s family.
Wes knew that he needed to expand the focus of his practice to cover the challenge of paying for the cost of long-term care. He developed the expertise needed to help clients with planning that would enable them to preserve their assets to pass on to their spouse, children, and other loved ones. He learned the Medicaid eligibility rules, and how to apply them to the benefit of his clients.
Wes started Coulson Elder Law, with offices in St. Louis, Missouri, and O’Fallon, Illinois. Its goal and mission is to help families to preserve their life savings and avoid using their hard-earned money paying for long-term care. Coulson Elder Law assists clients through various services, such as estate planning, asset protection, Veteran’s benefits planning, Medicaid eligibility planning, Alzheimer’s planning, and special needs planning.
Coulson Elder Law is dedicated to taking a proactive role in helping to educate people about the opportunities for and benefits of proper planning. The firm often sponsors free educational workshops for the public in local assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and various community organizations. Additionally, Wes is an active member of various professional organizations, including the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (“NAELA”), the St. Louis Estate Planning Council, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, and the Missouri and Illinois Bar Associations.
With over 20 years of elder law experience, Coulson Elder Law is dedicated to being the best elder law and estate planning law firm in the St. Louis metropolitan area, and its members strive daily to offer clients the highest level of professional service.
At Coulson Elder Law, our clients are our number one priority. Making sure all of your questions are answered and understood is most important to our attorneys and staff.
