About Johnson McGinnis Elder Care Law & Estate Planning

Certified by the National Elder Law Foundation as a Certified Elder Law Attorney, Barbara Boone McGinnis is a national leader in the elder care law field. She provides legal expertise on a wide range of client issues with a focus on Estate Planning, and Medicaid eligibility and appeals. She is also a VA-accredited attorney.

Before receiving her license to practice law in Tennessee, Barbara spent more than two decades as a Registered Nurse and Gerontological Nurse Practitioner working in a variety of settings, including hospitals, long-term care centers, outpatient clinics, and home health. Her skills include executive management, sales, consulting, and business development. She spent nearly a decade as director of nursing services at a large continuing care retirement center in the Nashville area.

Barbara’s passion for helping people deal with age-related changes extends beyond her clinical experience. She has traveled the elder care continuum with both parents as well as other family members. These experiences have given her tremendous empathy for families facing the prospect of a long-term illness of an aging loved one. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee; a master’s degree as a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner from Vanderbilt University in Nashville; and a Juris Doctor degree from Nashville School of Law. She was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 2010, joined the Elder Law Practice of Timothy L. Takacs in 2011. She became a 50% partner in 2016, and the firm rebranded to Takacs McGinnis Elder Care Law in 2017. She holds the coveted Certified Elder Law Attorney credential from the National Elder Law Foundation.

Since becoming licensed to practice law, Barbara has demonstrated a strong commitment to leadership and service through her involvement in professional and civic organizations at both the local and national levels. A member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) since 2011, she has served four years on its Board of Directors and previously held the role of president of the NAELA Tennessee Chapter.

Barbara spent six years on the board of the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association, including two years as president, and has served on the Tennessee Bar Association Elder Law Section Executive Council since 2011. She has served as a board member of Vista Points, a nonprofit Special Needs Trust resource center, and Community life Bridge, a Tennessee-based nonprofit dedicated to improving quality of life for older adults. Barbara is also one of the principals of Life Care Consulting LLC, a consulting firm that helps attorneys launch successful Life Care Planning practices.

​ Dedicated to increasing awareness about elder care law, Barbara gives dozens of presentations each year to professional associations and community groups. She is co-host of Aging Starts Now, a weekly podcast on issues related to elder care law; the former co-host of Johnson McGinnis Elder Care Law Hour, a monthly program that ran for two years on Nashville’s CBS affiliate; and a frequent contributor to print and online media outlets in the Nashville area.

In her spare time, Barbara enjoys playing golf, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.