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Elder law attorneys in Arkansas focus on the legal issues facing aging adults and their families: Medicaid planning for long-term care, drafting and updating durable powers of attorney and healthcare directives, guardianship and conservatorship proceedings, special needs trusts, and asset protection. Many also handle probate and estate planning, but elder law is the specific subset focused on care planning and benefits eligibility. See the Arkansas healthcare proxy and financial power of attorney forms.
Federal law (and Arkansas's implementation) imposes a 5-year lookback period for Medicaid long-term care eligibility. Any uncompensated transfers (gifts, transfers to family members, transfers to a non-Medicaid-qualified trust) within the 5 years before applying for Medicaid can trigger a penalty period during which Medicaid won't pay for nursing home care. This is the main reason Medicaid planning needs to start years before care is actually needed — and the main reason elder law attorneys exist as a distinct practice area.
Estate planning attorneys in Arkansas average $314 per hourClio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jan 1, 2025 for wills and estates work. Flat-fee packages run roughly $942–$1,884 for a simple individual will and $2,890–$4,335 for a basic revocable trust. Online and DIY services cost $30–$300 for the same documents — see the will cost calculator for a side-by-side comparison.
Arkansas has a generous small-estate threshold of $100,000. Estates under that line can use the Affidavit for Collection of Small Estate by Distributee procedure, which is a form rather than a court case — most families can handle it without an attorney. For estates above the threshold, formal probate generally benefits from counsel because of the procedural overhead, even when nothing is contested. The Arkansas probate calculator estimates total costs based on estate value.
In Arkansas, the situations where retaining counsel is typically worth the cost are: blended families with children from prior relationships; ownership of a business, rental property, or significant investment assets; special-needs dependents who need a special-needs trust to preserve benefits; substantial property held in multiple states. If none of these describe your situation, the simpler online and DIY tools are often enough.
Search 4,003 estate law firms across 51 states.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.
31 firms
Harrison elder-law firm serving Boone, Marion, Newton, Searcy, and Carroll counties in the White River region. Attorney James Burrus handles probate, estate administration, trust administration, guardianship, and Medicaid estate planning for families. Offers free initial consultations in person or by phone.
Location
324 W. Ridge Ave.Harrison, AR 72601
Phone
(870) 517-5444
Service Area
5 counties
Fayetteville firm working Washington, Benton, Madison, and Carroll counties, with probate handled in the local Northwest Arkansas circuit courts. For estate settlement, the firm administers decedents' estates and handles probate, trust administration, and guardianships, alongside estate and tax planning. Brenda Vassaur Taylor has practiced in the area since 1985 with a tax-focused estate practice.
Location
2949 N. Point Circle, Suite #2Fayetteville, AR 72704
Phone
(479) 527-0006
Service Area
4 counties
Mountain Home firm serving Baxter, Fulton, Izard, Stone, and Marion counties, with a department dedicated to probate and guardianship in the local circuit courts. For families after a death, the firm handles trust and estate administration and guides estates through probate court, with three attorneys and a dedicated probate coordinator. Practicing in the region since 1998.
Location
313 Highway 201 North, Suite 5Mountain Home, AR 72653
Phone
(870) 425-2460
Established
1998
Service Area
5 counties
Arkadelphia attorney serving Clark, Hot Spring, and Pike counties in southwest Arkansas, with probate handled in the local circuit courts. For estate settlement, Elaine Kneebone handles probate, guardianships, and wills and trusts, drawing on over 20 years of focused estate and probate practice. Consultations available in person or by telephone.
Location
205 North 25th StreetArkadelphia, AR 71923
Phone
(870) 210-9185
Service Area
3 counties
Bryant estate planning and elder law firm serving Saline, Pulaski, and Garland counties, with additional offices in Hot Springs Village, Fayetteville, and Bentonville. Drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and deeds, and handles long-term care and Medicaid planning, including emergency crisis cases. Founder Justin S. Elrod is one of only four Certified Elder Law Attorneys in Arkansas.
Location
400 N Reynolds RdBryant, AR 72022
Service Area
Statewide
Batesville general-practice attorney serving Independence, Stone, and Izard counties in north-central Arkansas. Handles estate planning, wills, trusts, and probate, including guiding executors through administration, alongside elder law and guardianship matters. Office open weekdays for consultations.
Location
410 E. Main St.Batesville, AR 72501
Phone
(870) 793-7556
Service Area
3 counties
Hot Springs elder law and estate planning firm serving Garland, Hot Spring, and Saline counties and clients statewide. Handles wills, trusts, powers of attorney, probate, and transferring real estate outside probate, with deep work in long-term care, Medicaid, and VA Aid and Attendance planning. Offers a free 30-minute estate planning consultation.
Location
1720 Higdon Ferry Rd, Suite 202Hot Springs, AR 71913
Phone
(501) 525-4401
Service Area
Statewide
Bentonville firm serving Benton and Washington counties in northwest Arkansas, focused on estate planning, probate, and trust administration. Darrell Gibby drafts wills and trusts and guides families through probate and trust settlement, and has concentrated his practice on estate work since 2007. Also handles business formation and real estate.
Location
903 SE 22nd Street, Suite 3Bentonville, AR 72712
Phone
(479) 271-8898
Established
2007
Service Area
2 counties
Bentonville estate planning and elder law practice led by Todd Whatley, CELA, serving Northwest Arkansas families (Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison). Focuses on estate plans built to avoid probate, long-term-care and Medicaid/VA benefits planning, and asset protection. Rebranded from Whatley's elder-law practice in 2024; he is a past president of the National Elder Law Foundation.
Location
2701 SE J Street, Suite 109Bentonville, AR 72712
Phone
(479) 601-4119
Service Area
4 counties
Downtown Little Rock firm (Simmons Bank Tower) serving central Arkansas: Pulaski, Saline, Faulkner, Lonoke. Its taxation and estate-planning group handles revocable trusts, wills, trust and estate administration, and estate/trust litigation. Established in 1986 with roughly 29 attorneys, including shareholder Adam D. Reid focused on trust and estate administration.
Location
425 West Capitol Avenue, Suite 3800Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone
(501) 376-3800
Established
1986
Service Area
Statewide