Your family should inherit your assets, not your probate problems.
A veteran litigator and former award-winning journalist, building estate plans that protect your family from public court fights, delays, and Medicaid spend-downs.
How we help Missouri families
Preventative law, done right
Estate Planning
Wills, trusts, and powers of attorney built to keep your estate out of Missouri probate, and to say exactly who inherits and who raises your children.
Elder Law & Medicaid
Asset-protection planning before a long-term-care crisis, structured ahead of the five-year look-back so a nursing-home spend-down doesn’t take the family home.
Veterans & VA Pension
VA disability and wartime pension benefits, coordinated with your trust and the rest of your estate plan.
Special Needs Trusts
Protect a loved one’s inheritance without risking Medicaid or SSI. Third-party and first-party special needs trusts drafted to Missouri benefit rules.
Trusts & Probate Avoidance
Revocable living trusts, transfer-on-death and beneficiary deeds, and joint titling to pass assets privately, without court.
Asset Protection
Shield business holdings, farm ground, and personal savings from creditors, lawsuits, and Medicaid estate recovery.
Why we do this
Patrick’s stepmother suffered a series of strokes and died without a plan. As a stepson with no legal authority, he could not step in to make sure she got the care she needed, and settling her estate from out of state made a hard time harder. That is the gap we close for Missouri families: the court delays, the confusion, and the public probate that arrive at the worst possible moment.
An estate plan isn’t gallows thinking. It’s one of the most loving things you can do for the people you leave behind.
Recognized & trusted
“Patrick does outstanding work as a lawyer. He sat down with me and discussed everything that could possibly happen… Hiring Patrick Nolan as my lawyer was the best decision I could have made.”
“Patrick handled my case professionally and with great care. It was an emotional time and he took the time to make sure I understood everything.”
Meet Patrick Nolan
An estate-planning and veterans-law attorney in Kirksville. A combat veteran and former award-winning journalist, he spent a decade in the courtroom before focusing on preventative law, the work you do before the problem arrives.
Common questions
Missouri estate planning, answered
Missouri probate can be public, time-consuming, and costly. A trust-centered plan helps your family avoid court and keeps your affairs private. Without a plan, Missouri law decides who gets your assets and who raises your children.
Not always. Trusts, payable-on-death and transfer-on-death designations, and joint tenancy all avoid probate. Small estates under $40,000 may qualify for a simplified affidavit process.
Yes. A short pour-over will captures any assets not titled to your trust and directs them into the trust. It acts as a safety net for your plan.
The initial consultation is $175. Estate planning is offered as flat-fee packages; family law and other matters are billed hourly.
Yes. The estate planning practice is statewide through secure video meetings and convenient signing options, either at the Kirksville office or your location.
The Young Adult Legal Essentials (YALE) Plan is a five-document package for adults turning 18: Durable Power of Attorney, Healthcare Power of Attorney, Healthcare Directive, FERPA Release, and HIPAA Authorization. It closes the legal gap parents face when a child turns 18.
VA disability compensation claims, pension benefits for wartime veterans and surviving spouses, and trust planning that affects VA eligibility.
