In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin speaks with John Florsch, senior counsel at RLGC Law Group in Albany, New York. John focuses his practice on elder law, Medicaid planning, and residential real estate and title insurance, helping families navigate one of the most complex and emotionally charged areas of the legal system.

John shares how an estate planning course in law school unexpectedly redirected his ambitions away from criminal defense and corporate law, and how an internship with an elder law firm revealed the depth of connection possible with clients facing placement and care decisions. Nearly two decades later, he is still doing the same work — and still finding it as meaningful as ever.

He also walks through a sobering case in which both parents were placed in nursing homes simultaneously, generating invoices of up to forty-six thousand dollars a month, while a free non-legal service submitted an incomplete and potentially damaging Medicaid application that sat pending for nine months. John explains how he was able to step in, identify key exemptions, and ultimately preserve a significant portion of the family's assets.

Topics covered:

From criminal defense ambitions to elder law specialist
Crisis Medicaid planning and nursing home placement
The dangers of free non-legal Medicaid filing services
Navigating simultaneous nursing home placement for both parents
Referral fee arrangements and their impact on facility placement decisions
The five-year look-back rule and why it's not the end of the road
Why consulting an elder law attorney before placement can preserve fifty to sixty percent of assets

Connect with John Florsch:

Phone: (518) 250-4264

Email: jflorsch@rlgclaw.com