John J. RossAttorney
John J. Ross specializes in estate and Medicaid planning, including planning for children and adults with special needs. Such planning has been the focus of Mr. Ross’ practice since 1992, making John J. Ross one of the most experienced planning attorneys in the State of New Jersey.
Mr. Ross is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association Elder and Disability Law Section and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He earned his law degree from Fordham University School of Law and, as an undergraduate, Mr. Ross graduated Summa Cum Laude from Fordham University’s Honors Program and was elected into Phi Beta Kappa.
Mr. Ross believes that clients who have family members with special needs should have the peace of mind of knowing that their loved ones will be adequately provided for when the client dies or becomes disabled. Yet, such peace of mind is often elusive. Mr. Ross has observed that much of the advice provided by attorneys, financial planners, and even well-meaning friends within the special needs community is unnecessarily complicated, confusing and, in some instances, wrong.
For example, many people are told that trusts available to hold and manage funds for people with special needs, must be more restrictive than they need to be, to the point of absolutely prohibiting certain types of distributions. In fact, John J. Ross has reviewed and corrected trusts prepared by attorneys that contain such restrictions.
Some restrictions are not only unnecessary, but they are also often ill-advised. Mr. Ross has worked with numerous people who wish to provide for children, grandchildren or siblings with special needs and want to do everything possible to help the family member with special needs realize his or her full potential. Therefore, it makes little sense to place an inheritance into an excessively restrictive trust that limits how the funds can be used for the remaining decades of a person’s life, and, as a consequence, creates the risk of impeding the family member’s ability to realize his or her full potential.
When you confer with John J. Ross about estate, Medicaid or special needs planning, he will make sure that you fully understand the options available to you and, as a result, help you decide upon and implement a plan that will truly achieve your goals and properly provide for the people whom you want to support and protect.
Contact us at the Susan Clark Law Group LLC at 732-637-5248 for a consultation.
