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Elder law attorneys in Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island healthcare proxy and financial power of attorney forms.
Federal law (and Rhode Island'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 Rhode Island average $382 per hourClio Legal Trends Report 2025Verified Jan 1, 2025 for wills and estates work. Flat-fee packages run roughly $1,146–$2,292 for a simple individual will and $3,850–$5,775 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.
Rhode Island allows estates under $15,000 to use a simplified Voluntary Administration procedure, which is a form rather than a court case and typically doesn't require an attorney. For larger estates, formal probate is involved enough that retaining counsel is usually practical — the procedural work is what they're there for. Use the Rhode Island probate calculator to estimate the costs.
In Rhode Island, 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; estates near or above the Rhode Island estate tax threshold; substantial property held in multiple states. If none of these describe your situation, the simpler online and DIY tools are often enough.
Search 4,075 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.
23 firms
Audette, Audette & Violette offers experienced estate planning and probate services for Rhode Island and Massachusetts clients. The firm has three capable lawyers who have worked together for over 20 years.
Location
35 Highland AvenueEast Providence, RI 02914
Phone
(401) 490-0220
Bazar & Associates is a full-service law firm in East Providence with over 50 years of combined legal experience. The firm provides estate planning, probate, and elder law services to Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts families.
Location
197 Taunton AvenueEast Providence, RI 02914
Phone
(401) 437-4450
Blais Cunningham & Crowe Chester has been proudly serving clients and their communities since 1926. The firm provides practical, effective legal services in estate planning, using instruments including wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, and living wills. Their estate planning attorneys serve clients throughout Providence, Pawtucket, East Providence, Warwick, Cranston, and surrounding Rhode Island communities.
Location
150 Main Street, Suite 2Pawtucket, RI 02860
Phone
(401) 723-1122
Established
1926
A family-owned firm established in 1970, Connelly Law Offices is led by Certified Elder Law Attorney R.J. Connelly III, one of only 422 certified elder law attorneys in the United States. The firm serves clients in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts with a focus on elder law, estate planning, and Medicaid planning.
Location
372 Broadway, Suite APawtucket, RI 02860
Phone
(401) 724-9400
Established
1970
Correira Law is a boutique firm exclusively focused on trusts, estates, and elder law. With a tradition spanning over thirty-five years, the firm provides estate planning and administration, elder law and disability planning, tax and business planning, and trust and estate litigation services throughout Rhode Island.
Location
10 Dorrance StreetProvidence, RI 02903
Phone
(401) 454-5040
Susan Gershkoff is a Certified Estate Planning Law Specialist (EPLS) with over 30 years of experience serving Rhode Island and Massachusetts families. Located in Lincoln, the firm provides revocable living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, elder law and Medicaid planning, and estate tax planning services.
Location
132 Old River Road, Suite 205Lincoln, RI 02865
Phone
(401) 954-4488
Hackman & Phillips is a focused elder law and estate planning boutique in Warwick serving all of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. Kevin Hackman has practiced since 1976, concentrating on elder law, Medicaid and estate planning, probate administration, guardianships, and special needs trusts. He is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and sits on the RI Bar Association's Probate and Trust Committee.
Location
1370 Warwick AvenueWarwick, RI 02888
Phone
(401) 463-6100
Serving Rhode Island families since 1974, the Law Offices of Howe & Garside provides estate planning, elder law, and family law services from offices in Newport and Lincoln. The firm has over 40 years of combined legal experience and serves clients across Newport, Jamestown, Portsmouth, Middletown, Tiverton, Lincoln, Providence, Cumberland, and Smithfield.
Location
55 Memorial Boulevard, Suite 5Newport, RI 02840
Phone
(401) 841-5700
Established
1974
Established in 1978, Jarret Law is a full-service general practice firm serving northern Rhode Island communities including Woonsocket, North Smithfield, Cumberland, Lincoln, Burrillville, and Glocester. The firm has an active estate planning practice assisting individuals, couples, and families with the formation of trusts, wills, and powers of attorney.
Location
14 Breakneck Hill Road, Suite 200Lincoln, RI 02865
Phone
(401) 769-2929
Established
1978
Kalander & Nash (formerly Kalander & Shaw) represents clients in estate planning and elder law cases across Rhode Island and Southeast Massachusetts. Their attorneys help executors navigate the Rhode Island probate process, including filing wills with probate court, assembling assets, managing debts and taxes, and valuing assets.
Location
931 Jefferson Boulevard, Suite 2004Warwick, RI 02886
Phone
(401) 737-9720