Elder Law • Estate Planning • Estate Admin
Wendy A. Craig has committed her practice to elder law,
estate planning and estate administration.
Preparation of advance directives for financial and health care decision making
At Wendy A. Craig, P.A,
we devote our practice to elder law, estate planning, and estate administration. In every facet of the practice, we concentrate on preparing you for the transitions that life naturally brings and walking those transitions with you. In crafting legal documents to meet lifetime needs and to ultimately distribute assets in accordance with your goals, we assist you in navigating those life changes by building bridges between generations, building connections with community services and creating teams to accomplish these goals.
Estate Planning
Estate planning provides control and direction over the distribution of assets at death through legal instruments, which may include wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations. Perhaps more importantly, estate planning also provides the opportunity to control and direct the management of assets and health care during incapacity
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through the use of advance directives: health care powers of attorney, general durable powers of attorney and living wills. Effective estate planning minimizes the impact of estate or income tax on estate assets and reduces or eliminates probate process and expense. We refine this goal with your individual plan for distribution of assets, the preservation of relationships and the legacy and heritage that you want to leave to your beneficiaries. In the planning process, we emphasize client engagement and take the time to make certain you understand your documents to ensure you have confidence in your plan.
What is Elder Law?
Elder law combines the considerations of estate planning with pre-planning for long-term care needs. Our office helps clients not only prepare their estate plans, but also to prepare for in-home care, assisted living and nursing home care, and meet the special needs of family members living with dementia and other disabilities.
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Our office assists clients and their families with pre-planning and crisis planning to identify sources of payment to meet care needs, including SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, Special Assistance, Medicare, veterans’ benefits and long-term care insurance. We prepare and implement plans to meet eligibility requirements for these benefit programs, while preserving and protecting resources for spouses and future generations. We also prepare and process Medicaid applications, taking that burden off family members so that they concentrate on care needs while we shoulder the burden of establishing eligibility for benefits. Further, we help families assemble a team to provide supported care for their loved ones, including financial planners, accountants, geriatric care managers and nursing advocates and in-home care services.
Estate Administration
Our office assists with both probate and trust administration, with the goal of administering estates efficiently and with transparency. We strive to treat your beneficiaries and family with the same care and respect that we extended to you, literally bridging generations and transitioning your assets to further your goals.
With all our services, our office emphasizes its role as a team player – to create and nurture connections, to facilitate transitions, to build bridges. To provide you with supportive and conscientious service, we encourage you to contact us as needed. By making sure the appropriate tools are in place and by remaining accessible throughout the process, we not only construct solid plans but also provide continuing support as a member of your team.
Our Services
Our Team
Lauren C. Presnell
Case Manager
Lauren has managed our Estate Administration practice since 2016. Lauren graduated from Western Carolina University with a Bachelor of Arts in history and a minor in political science, recently graduated from Charlotte School of Law and expects to sit for the NC Bar exam in the future. When she is not assisting in all of phases of estate administration, Lauren enjoys baking, spending quality time with friends and family, volunteering for Phi Mu Fraternity advising chapters in finance and operations, and renovating her newly purchased home.
Mary Jo Adams
Case Manager
Mary Jo manages our Medicaid practice. Mary Jo is a native of Black Mountain, graduated from Charles D. Owen High School and earned an Associates Degree from Haywood Community College. Mary Jo worked as a medical assistant for over 12 years before joining our office in 2004. MJ’s previous experience working in physicians’ offices has proven a tremendous asset as she assists clients with obtaining in-home care, navigating appropriate placement for long-term care and achieving eligibility for benefits to pay for cost of care. When Mary Jo is not in the office, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, reading and cooking.
Kasidy N. Martin
Office Administrator
Kasidy grew up north of Chicago and moved to Asheville in 2014 to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree from University of North Carolina Asheville. After spending time in the outdoor industry, Kasidy decided she wanted to shift focus and enter into a field where she can use her time to help people. Since, she uses her friendly demeanor and detail-oriented nature to make guests feel as welcome as family, while ensuring the office is well organized and running efficiently. Outside of the office, Kasidy likes to explore the beautiful mountains we live in, travel to new places, paint, and enjoy quality time with her partner and family.
Ashley J. Novander
Attorney
Ashley J. Novander is an attorney with extensive experience in civil litigation and brings a fresh focus to elder law. A native of Colorado, Ashley received her B.A. magna cum laude from the University of Boulder in 2008 and then earned her J.D. and LL.M. degrees from the University of Denver in 2014. Ashley practiced law for the past eight years in Florida, where she focused on civil litigation and real property law.
Newly licensed in North Carolina, Ashley is excited to apply her litigation expertise to estate planning and administration, helping clients and their families navigate the law with compassion and insight. She looks forward to contributing to the exceptional legal service at Wendy A. Craig, P.A.
Ashley has a passion for volunteering in the local community, and has served on various non-profit boards and Bar associations. She also enjoys spending time cooking and exploring the mountains with her husband and two dogs.
Wendy A. Craig
Attorney
Wendy graduated from Wake Forest University in 1987, magna cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, and from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1990. Wendy practiced law for five years in Charlotte with Smith Helms Mulliss & Moore, (now McGuireWoods). She married her husband Chip and moved to Montreat to start her family in 1995. After serving as Board Chair for the Black Mountain Center for the Arts through its capital campaign and volunteering in our local schools, Wendy opened her own practice in Black Mountain in 2002. She served as Chair of the Elder Law Section of the NC Bar Association from 2006-2007 and served as co-chair of the North Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys and hosted the first “unprogram” of elder law attorneys in NC in 2005. Wendy has been included in Best Lawyers in America each year since 2008.
