Founding partner Janis Carney attended law school in her late 30s as a wife and mother of two and after watching both of her parents pass away. This background gave Janis a natural understanding of the importance of protecting families and estate planning. She excelled academically at Santa Clara University Law School, where she won competitions in client-counseling by utilizing her skills in listening, identifying issues and prioritizing responses; skills she uses today as an elder law counselor and attorney-at-law. She has a deep understanding and concern for clients who are caring for a chronically ill spouse or parent or who want to plan for their own future care. Ms. Carney asks her clients not only what they want to happen when they die, but also what they want to happen if they need long-term care before death.
Ms. Carney has been recognized as one of the top five percent of elder law attorneys in Northern California for the last five years and was recognized by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law in 1995. In 2005, she became the first CELA in Santa Clara County (Certified Elder Law Attorney through the National Elder Law Foundation) and in 2009 became one of first Accredited Attorneys with the Veteran’s Administration in the area. In addition to Estate Planning, Ms. Carney focuses on Life Care Planning for her clients that are elderly, disabled or chronically ill.
Practice Areas:
- Elder Law
- Medi-Cal and Veterans Benefits Planning and Advocacy
- Life Care Planning
- Long-term Care Planning
Bar Admissions:
- State Bar of California
Education:
- Santa Clara University School of Law, JD- 1990
- San Jose State University, BS in Mathematics- 1976
Associations:
- Silicon Valley Bar Association
- West Valley Bar Association
- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
- Santa Clara County Estate Planning Council
Awards:
- San Francisco Magazine’s Super Lawyer Top Attorney Award in Northern California 2005-2011
Certifications:
- Certified Specialist Estate Planning Trust and Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization
- Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation
- Accredited Attorney by the Veterans Administration
Speaking Engagements:
- Elder Law and Long-term Care Planning, Los Gatos Saratoga Recreation, July 2011, Los Gatos, CA
- VA Benefits Basics, Janis Carney and Richard Dayton, Silicon Valley Bar Association, July 2011, Santa Clara, CA
- What Familes Need to Know About Elder Law, Los Gatos Meadows, July 2011, Los Gatos, CA
- Elder Law and Long-term Care Planning, Campbell Community Senior Center, June 2011, Campbell, CA
- What Families Need to Know About Elder Law, Vintage Silver Creek, May 2011, San Jose, CA
- What Families Need to Know About Elder Law, Pacific Gardens, April 2011, Santa Clara, CA
- What Families Need to Know About Elder Law, Belmont Villages, February 2011, San Jose, CA
- VA Pension Benefits: Getting more Bang for your Buck National Academy of Elder Attorneys N Cal Chapter, December 2010, San Francisco, CA
- Feeling Overwhelmed and Need Help Making Good Care Decision? CS&S Fall Client Seminar, November 2010 Los Gatos, CA
- What Caregivers Should Know About Elder Law, Caregivers Count Conference, November 2010 San Jose, CA
- VA Benefits – A Comparison of the Basics with SST and Medi-Cal, PFAC, November 2010 Long Beach, CA
- Medi-Cal Basics: Recipe for Long Term Care, Recovery and Planning, Silicon Valley Bar Association, September 2010 San Jose, CA
- Life Care Planning, Silicon Valley Bar Association, August 2010 San Jose, CA
- Veteran’s Benefits, West Valley Bar Association, July 2010, San Jose, CA
- Elder Law and Medi-Cal Benefits, Saratoga Federated Church, June 2010, Saratoga, CA
- Veteran’s Benefits, Silicon Valley Bar Association, April 2010 San Jose, CA
- Veteran’s Benefits, PFAC, December 2009 San Jose, CA
- MEDICARE: the Old ABCs and the New D (Drug) Programs, Silicon Valley Bar Association, April 2006, San Jose, CA
Publications:
- California Advocates For Nursing Home Reform,Legal Network News, Volume 21 No. 3, Fall 2010, Veterans Pensions vs. SSI and Medi-Cal: Similarities, Differences, and Interaction, by Gregory Wilcox, Esq., and Janis Carney, Esq.