Committed to Helping Our Clients Succeed
Estate Planning, Elder Law
Medicaid & VA Benefits,
Successions Probate &
Trusts, Special Needs,
Social Security /
Disability
- Our Location
Shreveport, LA
- Contact
(318) 524-9966
Joe Gilsoul In Action...
Joe has been practicing law for over 40 years.
His deep expertise focuses on estate planning, trusts (including special needs trusts), successions (probate), Medicaid, VA benefits, Social Security disability appeals, asset protection planning, and coaching families in these areas.
At age 17 Joe signed up for a three-year stint with the U. S. Army and served a year in Viet Nam.
He then worked full time while attending the University of South Florida in Tampa, graduating with honors in accounting. After graduation he worked for the U. S. General Accounting Office and then six and one-half years for the Internal Revenue Service in New Orleans.
While working full time at IRS, he attended Loyola Law School at night. Upon graduation from law school he joined a mid-sized Shreveport law firm and on August 1, 2016, he started his own firm, Gilsoul & Aronson, LLC, where he was joined by the highly regarded elder law attorney, Lee Aronson.
What We Are Expert At
Legal Practice Areas
Estate Planning
A good estate plan doesn’t just cover what happens to your wealth and belongings after you die. Your plan should also deal with who would have the legal authority to help you if you were unable to make your own decisions while you are alive.
Medicaid / VA Planning
Paying for long term care is expensive. Medicaid or VA Benefits may be able to save you a fortune.
Special Needs
If you have a disabled relative, you need to be particularly careful with your will, especially if your relative is unable to manage money. You don’t want to put a loved one’s public benefits, especially their health insurance, at risk. Louisiana law says a disabled child is a forced heir: you have to leave them something. Special needs planning ensures that your disabled loved one is protected once you’re gone.
Successions:
After someone dies, the heirs do not automatically get their inheritance. Heirs have to go through a legal process called a succession in order to get their inheritance. The good news is that in Louisiana, thanks to the Napoleonic Code and our unique laws, a succession can be done much faster than in other states.
Special Needs News & Updates
The ARC's Online Tool Helps Families Plan for the Future
Through its “Build Your Future”; online tool, The Arc’s Center for Future Planning helps adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families plan ahead so they can live as independently as possible throughout their lives.
Don't Confuse the Roles of Trustee and Care Manager
A trustee’s level of involvement in the beneficiary’s affairs can be confusing for beneficiaries and families, who may be under the impression that the trustee has the decision-making power in all aspects of a beneficiary’s life.
"Mr. Social Security" Pleads Guilty to Defrauding SSA of $550M in Disability Benefits
The Kentucky attorney who called himself “Mr. Social Security” pleaded guilty to working with doctors and an administrative law judge to procure $550 million in Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits for clients who may not have been disabled.
Click on the links below to find valuable information regarding elder law and much more!
Opting for End of Life
Ten states now permit Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) — why do patients request to end their lives early, and how do medical providers make sure they mean it? Esmé Deprez recalls getting a succinct text from her father, Ron, one morning. “He was ready to die,” she says, “and he needed me to help.” …
Louisiana Disabled Verterans Get Discount On Property Taxes!
Do you know who really won the 2022 midterm elections? Disabled veterans! That’s because Louisiana voters approved an amendment to our Constitution that LOWERS the PROPERTY TAX bills for many disabled veterans. Unfortunately, not all disabled veterans are eligible. The property tax break is only for veterans whose disability is connected to their military service. …
Louisiana Disabled Verterans Get Discount On Property Taxes! Read More »
Auto Insurance For Elders
As you get older, does your auto insurance get more expensive? Most people tell me that their car insurance premiums are outrageously high, and they only seem to go up and up. But some people tell me that’s a good thing because “old people” are horrible drivers, and their auto insurance should be outrageously high. …
A New Drug For Alzheimer
A new drug for Alzheimer’s has been in the news. Some people are very excited. But others are dubious. You can’t sell a drug in America unless you can prove to the FDA that the drug is both safe and effective. The FDA was convinced that the new Alzheimer’s drug is safe. But they weren’t …
Price Transparency
A new law went into effect on January 1, 2020. The Hospital Price Transparency Rule requires hospitals to “establish, update, and make public a list of the standard charges for the items and services that they provide.” I don’t think that knowing how much something is going to cost before you buy it should be …
Special Education
Should handicapped children be educated? There is a federal law that says they should be and that they have a right to a “free appropriate public education.” So how do you think Louisiana is doing? On June 4, 2021 the U.S. Department of Education issued a report that found that Louisiana was not meeting the …
Elder Law News & Updates
Auto Insurance For Elders
As you get older, does your auto insurance get more expensive? Most people tell me that their car insurance premiums are outrageously high, and they only seem to go up and up. But some people tell me that’s a good thing because “old people” are horrible drivers, and their auto insurance should be outrageously high. …
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What Our Client's Say
Peace of mind comes from planning ahead!
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Awarded to Lee Aronson, first place for his writing about senior issues in his monthly column for The Best of Times, a free monthly magazine for mature adults in Northwest Louisiana.
