NANCY M. RICE, Esq., CELA focuses her practice in the areas of Wills, Trusts, and Estates, financial planning for persons with disabilities, and persons in need of home health, assisted living, and nursing home care. She is the managing shareholder of her law firm, with offices in Cherry Hill and Linwood, New Jersey.
Ms. Rice graduated in 1983 from Chestnut Hill College (summa cum laude) and earned her J.D. degree from the Villanova University School of Law in 1986. Since 1997, she has been Certified as an Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation. Nancy is admitted to practice law in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She is a Past President of the Estate and Financial Planning Council of Southern New Jersey, a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the American Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Association (Elder Law Section), the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Camden County Bar Association (serving on the Committee on the Elderly).
Nancy began her law career like many new attorneys, working in a very large law firm. It was there that she first learned about Wills and Trusts. In 1986 when she began her career, “Elder Law” did not even exist as an area of specialty. She joined the newly formed National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and taught herself the rules regarding Medicare and Medicaid eligibility. When she finally left the large law firm in 1991 after her son was born, she was able to maintain her specialty in Wills, Trusts and Elder Law because so few attorneys were familiar with this new field of law.
The practice of Disability Law involves application of federal and state rules regarding SSI, SSD, Medicare and Medicaid for people under the age of 65 who are unable to work. The firm does not handle Social Security Disability medical claims. Instead, she works with clients with respect to financial eligibility for these programs. She prepares Special Needs Trusts if a disabled person inherits money or receives funds from a lawsuit which would make him or her ineligible for either SSI or Medicaid. She also prepares Supplemental Benefits Trusts for parents of disabled children as an alternative to disinheriting them.
When she is not advocating for her clients, Nancy loves spending time with her grown children and their families and her dog, Mojo. She still enjoys crabbing on the back bays of Ocean City/Somers Point on her 13-foot boat, "Crabe Diem".
Recent Articles
Areas Of Practice
- Estate Planning
- Tax Planning
- Special Needs Planning
- Preparation of Wills
- Trusts
- Powers of Attorney
- Living Wills
- Estate and Trust Administration
- Financial Planning for Long Term Care
- Medicaid
- Guardianship
Certified Legal Specialties
- Certified Elder Law Attorney, National Elder Law Foundation, 1997
Bar Admissions
- New Jersey, 1986
- Pennsylvania, 1986
- U.S. District Court District of New Jersey, 1986
Education
- Villanova University School of Law, Villanova, Pennsylvania
- J.D. - 1986
- Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- B.A. - 1983
- Honors: summa cum laude
- Major: Psychology
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Estate and Financial Planning Council of Southern New Jersey, Past President
- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Member, 1991
- New Jersey State Bar Association, Elder Law Section, Member, Technology Committee
- Camden County Bar Association, Member, Probate and Trust Committee
- National Elder Law Foundation, Member
Past Employment Positions
- Rice & Rice, P.C., Managing Shareholder, 04/1991
- Archer & Greiner, P.C., Associate Attorney, 09/1986 to 03/1991
- Kulzer & DiPadova, P.A., Shareholder, 09/2003 to 12/2004