Martha C. Brown

Martha C. Brown
St. Louis Elder Law Attorney

Before it was popular, Martha was practicing Elder Law. Before other attorneys were touting themselves as the gurus of special needs planning, Martha had already blazed the trail. She began her practice working in a general practice firm where the attorneys did just about anything, But, none of the attorneys wanted to represent clients in guardianship cases. Martha signed on as the attorney for those types of cases and this eventually led to the court appointing her to serve as a guardian for incapacitated people. When one of these clients needed Medicaid, Martha learned the Medicaid rules and applied them on behalf of the client. Eventually, she saw a need to help people with disabilities. There was no real legal resource for these types of clients, so Martha learned everything she could about the legal needs and solutions for clients with disabilities. There were no reference books on the subject, so Martha read the Federal and Missouri statuTes, rules and laws, and then read them again, and figured out how to help these clients.

Martha focused on developing a firm that concentrated on the needs of the elderly, incapacitated and those with disabilities. After joining he National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, she recognized the importance of Missouri law as it related to the new and emerging area of Elder Law.

As time progressed, her reputation grew as the Elder Law attorney in the St. Louis area, but she didn't sit on this title. She continued to educate herself and serve the organizations that helped the elderly and disabled. She became involved in the Alzheimer's Association, Mid-East Area Agency on Aging and many other organizations.

Martha became a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) in 2000. She has seen her hard work and diligence of making people aware of the issues facing the elderly pay off. She is considered one of the leading Elder Law attorneys in the nation. She has been honored with a Fellowship from NAELA and was the Powley award recipient in 2008.

Education

  • University of Bath, Bath, England
  • B.A., University of Vermont, 1976
  • J.D., University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1981

Professional Affiliations

  • Member, Council of Advanced Practitioners (CAP) of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
  • Fellow, Missouri Guardianship Statutory Reform Task Force
  • Fellow, American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel
  • Fellow, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
  • Member, The Missouri Bar, including the Probate and Trust Committee
  • Chair, Missouri Bar Elder Law Committee, 2001-2004
  • Founding Member and past President, Missouri Chapter of NAELA
  • The Special Needs Alliance LLC, a national alliance of disability lawyers
  • The Alzheimer's Association
  • Past Board Member, Long Term Care Ombudsman Program for Eastern Missouri
  • Board Member, Association for Aging with Developmental Disabilities
  • Board Member, Mid-East Area Agency on Aging
  • Past Board Member, St. Louis Bar Foundation
  • Past Member, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis including Elder Law Committee
  • Women Lawyers Association of Greater St. Louis
  • NAMI Board Member, St. Louis Chapter

Awards

  • 1996 St. Louis County Older Resident Program Volunteer Award
  • 2000 Alzheimer's Association Volunteer of the Year Award
  • 2001 Missouri Chapter, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys' Elder Law Attorney of the Year Award
  • 2002 National Association of Social Workers' Public Citizen of the Year Award
  • 2005 Brain Injury Association Service Award
  • 2006-2011 Super Lawyers
  • 2008 Fellow, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
  • 2008 Fellow, American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel (ACTEC)
  • 2008 Powley Award presented by National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

Publications

  • Author, Chapter on Guardianships and Conservatorship - MO Bar CLE Black Book on Elder Law Original Edition 2002, updated Supplements 2004, 2007, 2nd Edition 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"

Martha C. Brown & Associates, LLC assist clients with Estate Planning, Elder Law and Probate in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County, Franklin County and the surrounding areas including Arnold, Ballwin, Barnhart, Bellefontaine Neighbors, Black Jack, Bonne Terre, Brentwood, Bridgeton, Cedar Hill, Chesterfield, Clayton, Crestwood, Creve Coeur, Crystal City, Des Peres, DeSoto, Ellisville, Farmington, Fenton, Festus, Ferguson, Florissant, Fredericktown, Frontenac, Hazelwood, Herculaneum, High Ridge, Hillsboro, House Springs, Imperial, Kirkwood, Ladue, Lake St. Louis, Manchester, Maplewood, Maryland Heights, Mehlville, Normandy, O'Fallon, Olivette, Pacific, Pevely, Richmond Heights, St. Ann, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Peters, Ste. Genevieve, Sunset Hills, Town & Country, University City, Union, Valley Park, Washington, Webster Groves, Wentzville , Wildwood.