Introducing Johnson McGinnis Elder Care Law & Estate Planning

Our new name has the same unwavering excellence and unchanged commitment.

We are delighted to share some exciting news with you. As of April 1, 2024, our firm has undergone a significant transformation and will now be known as Johnson McGinnis Elder Care Law & Estate Planning. This change signifies the acknowledgment of our esteemed partner and colleague, Chris Johnson. 

For over thirty years, we have diligently served our community with a holistic, multidisciplinary elder law practice model known as life care planning. We have also consistently delivered exceptional estate planning services. With this name change, we reaffirm our commitment to upholding that legacy while embracing new horizons. 

You have one of the nation’s most respected elder care law firms by your side. 

Chris Johnson, a veteran with 25 years of legal and military experience and a background in elder law, estate planning and administration, probate law, and VA benefits planning, joined us as an associate attorney in 2018. He was named partner in 2019. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for his work in elder law, trusts, and estates.

Barbara McGinnis is a national leader in the elder law field. She joined the firm in 2011 and became a 50% partner in 2016. She has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for her work in the field of elder law. She holds the coveted Certified Elder Law Attorney credential from the National Elder Law Foundation and is a VA-accredited attorney. 

Johnson McGinnis Elder Law & Estate Planning has benefited from Tim Takacs’ revolutionary guidance and vision. As the architect of the Life Care Planning approach to elder law, Tim Takacs is recognized nationwide as a leader in this important and demanding area of elder law. His innovations have transformed the way this legal specialty is practiced in the United States. We intend to continue the work started by Tim Takacs and are committed to helping clients respond with confidence to the legal, financial, and personal challenges created by long life, chronic illness, and disability. 

Our team is continually evolving, and as we anticipate the next 30 years and beyond, this transition is a testament to our succession plan from Takacs McGinnis Elder Care Law to Johnson McGinnis Elder Care Law & Estate Planning. 

The firm’s innovations have comforted many families, inspired hundreds of attorneys nationwide, and transformed the practice of elder law in the United States. Today, Johnson McGinnis Elder Care Law & Estate Planning includes a staff of two attorneys, three elder care coordinators, two public benefits specialists, and other professionals who work together to serve clients throughout Middle Tennessee.

Our core values are not changing. We believe in what we do for you. 

Like traditional elder law firms, Johnson McGinnis Elder Care Law & Estate Planning helps families find ways to pay for long-term care while preserving family assets to the greatest extent possible. But we don't stop there. Our multidisciplinary team helps families respond to every twist and turn in the long-term care journey, including problems asset-focused elder law firms don't address, such as care coordination, patient advocacy, insurance issues, and more. Our approach works because it is built on a relationship of trust and confidence between your family and ours.  

The Elder Care Continuum helps families view the care journey as a process that begins well before what we call "the crisis point," which happens when families realize that a loved one can no longer safely live at home. At the crisis point, caregivers find themselves scrambling to make immediate arrangements for long-term care, often under great pressure and wondering how they will pay for that care.

We believe that the long-term care journey begins with what we call a "trigger event." It could be a stroke, a car accident, or a fall in the home. It could be a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, cancer, or another condition that may eventually lead to incapacity. Once the trigger event happens, family caregivers gradually step in to assume the responsibility for researching, coordinating, and delivering care, as well as managing more and more of the loved one's financial, legal, and personal matters. Over time, these burdens can become overwhelming.

Families often need more help early in the care journey than they realize. Unfortunately, traditional elder law attorneys, Medicaid planners, and senior advisors are limited in their ability to help earlier in the process because they focus on the money. For many families, however, the long-term care journey is about much more than money. It's about making sure the loved one is safe and well cared for. It's about quality of life. 

When you meet with Johnson McGinnis Elder Care Law & Estate Planning staff members during your initial consultation, the focus will be on locating your loved one's position on each line of the Elder Care Continuum. We will then help you identify gaps in care and suggest ways to mobilize resources and public benefits to close those gaps. The goal is to plan for the best care for your loved one, both now and in the future.

We will continue striving to be the leader in Tennessee's legal and care advocacy and education. We will continue to invest in educational opportunities for our entire Johnson McGinnis team to stay up to date on the ever-changing elder care landscape. 

From all of us at Johnson McGinnis Elder Law, we are so deeply grateful to you, our clients, your loved ones, and our partners for their confidence in our firm.