Wessels & Liebau LLC - Elder and Special Needs Law

05/27/2026

One of the things we value about our little elder law and special needs planning community is the opportunity to collaborate with excellent colleagues and share strategies we've picked up along the way.

Last week Abbey Bowen and Jessica Liebau both presented at the State Bar of Wisconsin's 2026 Adult Guardian ad Litem Training (which Jessica also chaired). Abbey was a panelist on guardianship and protective placement petitions, and Jessica co-presented on ethics related to guardianship, injunctions, and more.

05/19/2026

What do you do when the main office dog is on vacation and everyone's asking about her?

You welcome her understudy, Arlo, of course.

04/30/2026

If you see this young lady in the office today, wish her a happy 9th birthday! And give her a treat of course! We love you, Rita!

04/13/2026

Here is a followup to the FOX6's Jenna Sachs news article where we discussed the issue of refund policies for those huge deposits they require in some continuing care retirement communities. The family whose story was featured has received the refund after waiting over two years.

Carol 's take on the issue: This is a major consumer issue affecting some seniors, and it requires better protection laws. A facility should not be allowed to : 1) hold your large sum of money interest free; 2) for an indefinite period of time; 3) without a secured interest in the property, and in some cases 4) make you GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO SUE ABOUT IT! Also, there are plenty of decent places that do not require a large fee advance.

Make sure you have any contract reviewed by an attorney who will point out the pros and cons. We are happy to help you with that.

A Milwaukee area family waited years for an entrance fee refund from St. Camillus, following their mother's death.

04/08/2026

Mid-April brings a very important deadline: Health Care Decisions Day!

This is a great time to make sure you have your health care power of attorney documented completed, with the agents and powers of your choosing, signed and witnessed, and accessible to your agents and health care providers when it's needed.

(If you think you did one previously, but you can't find it, it's time to do a new one and get it on file with your doctor asap. If you haven't done ANY estate planning yet, perhaps time to visit an attorney who specializes in this work. 😁)

In recognition of Health Care Decisions Day on April 16, the State Bar of Wisconsin is offering a free download of its healthcare decisions guide for a limited time.

03/25/2026

If you're local to Sheboygan County and know someone who does not have a health care power of attorney in place yet, this is an excellent opportunity to fix that. The best time to think about this is before you think you need it!

Mark your calendars for April 16th!!!! You won't want to miss this!

03/16/2026

Happy Monday everyone! Today’s weather is the kind that only Bowie and the kids having a snow day can be happy about. We will be closed for the day.

03/01/2026

Last week Carol shared some valuable advice and tips related to wills and end of life planning. You can watch here:

Ask Contact 6 fields questions about End of Life Preparation including hospice, palliative care and elder law.

Ask Contact 6 fields questions about End of Life Preparation including hospice, palliative care and elder law.

02/26/2026

Carol just finished taping a segment on end of life issues and hospice with FOX6's Jenna Sachs and Marissa Becker from Preceptor Home Health and Hospice. Stay tuned for the link to watch!

02/19/2026

Passing along some helpful information to anyone who might know of a good place to make these resources available.

These are all FREE to order by going to the FTC's website, selecting your desired fliers/bookmarks/worksheets, and giving them a couple of weeks to send them out to you.

While certain populations tend to be targeted by scammers more than others, the best way to help prevent scams from taking root is making sure everyone is aware of what they can look like, and what to do about them.

We'll have a few different pieces available at our table at the Ozaukee Senior Conference in June.

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.