Jackson, MS (August 16, 2018) –  Best Lawyers, the oldest and one of the most respected attorney ranking services, has selected Richard Courtney, Certified Elder Law Attorney, for inclusion in the 2019 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America for his work in Elder Law and Trust and Estates.  These recognitions are based on independent evaluation of legal experience and peer review and recommendations.
Richard (“Rick”) Courtney has practiced law since 1978 and is a founding partner of the Jackson law firm of Frascogna Courtney, PLLC, where he chairs the Courtney Elder Law Associates planning group.  His primary areas of practice are elder law, public benefits law (Medicaid, Medicare and SSI), personal asset protection and estate planning, trusts and trust administration, special needs planning for persons with disabilities, guardianships and conservatorships, nursing home and disability rights, and probate administration.  Rick is the first attorney in Mississippi designated a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the American Bar Association-accredited National Elder Law Foundation.  He is a former Assistant Dean and Adjunct Professor of Law at Mississippi College School of Law and Adjunct Professor – Skills Fellow at University of Mississippi Law School of Law.  Licensed to practice before all state and federal courts in Mississippi, Rick is a former Director and current Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA); Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel; and member and former President of the Trusts and Estates Section of the Mississippi State Bar and the Special Needs Alliance, Inc., a national organization of special needs planning attorneys.
Rick and his wife, Ruthie, have adult twin daughters, one of whom has a disability.  Rick has been active in community involvement as a Director of Mustard Seed, Inc., President and Director of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation of Mississippi, Inc., President of the Advisory Board of Hospice Ministries Inc., a director of the Heritage School for children with learning disabilities, member of the Occupational Therapy Council of Advisors for the Mississippi State Department of Health, and a member of the Alzheimer’s / Mississippi Chapter.  He has written and spoken frequently to lawyers, health-care professionals, churches and community groups on elder law and estate planning subjects and topics of interest to senior adults, caregiver children and spouses, and families with special needs.