Martha C. Brown
From Martha’s interview for the Masters of Estates & Probate series on ReelLawyers.com.
As of January, 2022, Martha transitioned to “of counsel” and emeritus status and serves as a mentor and resource for the firm. Martha began her career working in Probate matters, including Guardianship cases. As she built her practice, she began working with Medicare and Medicaid matters. By 1994, she had an Elder Law practice, although at the time, she didn’t realize what it was. Since that time, she has expanded the firm to include Estate Planning, Long Term Care Planning, Medicaid Planning, Medicare, Incapacitation Issues, and End of Life Decision Making, all in which encompass the area of Elder Law.
In the beginning of her practice, there were very few other Elder Law attorneys in St. Louis and she was one of them.
Ms. Brown has been practicing in the field of Elder Law since 1994 and is a Certified Elder Law Attorney* as certified by the National Elder Law Foundation.
Ms. Brown has received numerous awards for her work with the elderly and disabled, including the 2008 Powley Award, presented to a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, who is recognized in their community as a leader in promoting a greater understanding of the rights and needs of elders and persons with special needs and advocating for those rights. Ms. Brown has been designated a “Super Lawyer” every year from 2006-2021 and named “Best Lawyer in America” from 2013-2021.
Education
- University of Bath, Bath, England
- B.A., University of Vermont, 1976
- J.D., University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1981
Professional Affiliations
- Fellow, American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel
- Fellow, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
- Founding Member and Past Board President, Missouri Chapter of National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
- Member, Council of Advanced Practitioners (CAP) of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
- Past Member, Missouri Guardianship Statutory Reform Task Force
- Past Board President, Association for Aging with Developmental Disabilities
- Past Board Member, Mid-East Area Agency on Aging
- Past Secretary of the Board, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), St. Louis Chapter
- Past Board Member, Voyce formerly known as Long Term Care Ombudsman Program for Eastern Missouri
- Past Board Member, St. Louis Bar Foundation
- Chair, Missouri Bar Elder Law Committee, 2001-2004
- Member and Past Board Member, The Special Needs Alliance LLC, a national alliance of disability lawyers Member
- Member, The Missouri Bar, including the Probate and Trust Committee and Elder Law Committee
- Board Member, Housing Options Provided for the Elderly (HOPE)
- Board Member, Fontbonne College of Education and Allied Health Professionals
- Board Member, Midwest Trust Fiduciary Litigation Group
Publications
- Guardianships and Conservatorships 2nd Ed. Guidebook, Missouri Bar
- Missouri Elder Law, 2020-2021 ed. (Vol. 41 Missouri Practice Series), Thomson Reuters
- Author, “Representative Payee for Social Security Benefits” – The Voice, October, 2015 Special Needs Alliance
- Presented “Housing Issues in Special Needs Trusts” – A Webinar for the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, December 3, 2015
- Presented “Long-Term Care Planning Essentials” – A Webinar to Lorman Education Center, August, 2015
- Author, “Housing Issues In Special Needs Trusts: The Devil Is In The Details” – April-June, 2015 Edition of NAELA News
- Author, Chapter on Guardianships and Conservatorship – MO Bar CLE Black Book on Elder Law Original Edition 2002, updated Supplements 2004, 2007, 2nd Edition 2010, Supplemented 2015
- Interview featured in the article entitled, “The road less traveled” by David Engel in the Spring, 2014 edition of the UMKC School of Law Alumni Magazine, Res Ispa
- Author, “Website of Interest” – Special Needs Law Section of the NAELA News, Volume 22, Issue 6, 2010
- Featured in Walletpop.com article July, 2010 – “Medicaid Madness: Lookback period creates financial hardship for many Americans”
- Featured in Money Magazine, July 2010 – “Planning for a Special Needs Child”
- Featured in Missouri Lawyers Weekly – January 18, 2010 “Mysteries Abound in Medicare Set Asides”
- Author, Special Needs Alliance – The Voice (e-mail newsletter) – May 12, 2012 “Special Needs Trusts and Buying a House”
*Neither the Supreme Court of MO nor the Missouri Bar reviews or approves certifications, organizations or specialist designations.
