The Business Law practice helps clients by providing legal advice and services in such areas as business formation and dissolution, contract and lease negotiations and reviews, corporate governance, and human resources policies and manuals.

Individuals with special needs often qualify for government assistance to help them pay for what the government determines are the necessities of life, but this assistance is usually not enough and does not cover expenses related to the individual’s quality of life. Further, the government is quick to disqualify individuals based on a single small inheritance or establishment of a trust in favor of a qualified individual. So, well-intending family members and friends of individuals with special needs may leave inheritances to individuals with special needs, but accidentally disqualify the individual from receiving his or her necessary benefits.

A special needs trust is a special type of trust that allows an individual to transfer assets to the benefit of an individual with special needs without impacting any government benefits received by the individual with special needs. Special needs trusts can be complicated, and individuals seeking to leave assets to individuals with special needs should seek the assistance of legal counsel to ensure the trust is established properly. The Danenhower Law Firm can help you every step of the way, including forming the trust, identifying suitable trustees to manage the property in the trust and defining the guidelines for the trust to ensure the individual with special needs is properly protected.

Drafting a last will and testament is essential to ensuring your wishes are fulfilled and your loved ones are taken care of after you are gone. The Danenhower Law Firm can help you prepare your estate and ensure that your property is preserved and distributed as you wish. Additionally, the Danenhower Law Firm can help you prepare for life events and authorize individuals to help you care for your property and health.

Often times, the Social Security Administration will wrongfully deny requests for benefits. If you disagree with the Government’s denial of benefits, you must quickly appeal the decision. The general deadline for appealing a Social Security Administration ruling is 60 days from the date you receive the negative decision, but if you wish to retain benefits to continue during your appeal, you must appeal within 10 days. The Danenhower Law Firm can help you with your Social Security  Administration appeal.

When a person loses the ability to make or communicate reasoned decisions regarding the care of himself or his property, person and property, interested parties may seek to protect the individual and his property through interdiction. Interdiction is legal transfer of authority from the interdict to a person appointed by the court to make legal decisions relating to the interdict and his property.

Children with special needs enjoy the right to an education that is free and implemented in the Least Restrictive Environment for the child. Determining the best plan for your child is done through development of an individual education plan, which is defined through a team including the parents of the child with special needs, school board representatives and representatives from the school the child attends. In some cases, parents of children with special needs may disagree with certain aspects of the plan, and they may need help advocating for the their children’s educational rights. The Danenhower Law Firm can assist parents with ensuring their child’s educational rights through assisting with IEPs, organizing arguments to be presented during an IEP or a due process hearing, and representing the family during an IEP or due process hearing. If you think your child’s educational needs are not being met, or if you disagree with your child’s IEP, you should contact Chad Danenhower at the Danenhower Law Firm.