Sharon was born in Joplin and grew up on a farm in the Carl Junction school district. Sharon graduated from (Southwest) Missouri State University cum laude in the university honor’s program before attending law school at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas. There, she served a student editor for the Family Law Quarterly and received her Juris Doctorate with Dean’s Honors. After law school, she worked as a senior staff attorney for the Honorable Thomas B. Wine in Louisville, Kentucky, and also served as a trial commissioner for the district courts. She returned to her home in southwest Missouri in 2003.

Prior to joining Ozarks Elder Law, Sharon’s practice included disability law, as well as estate planning, probate, and general litigation for an insurance defense firm. She worked as the editor for the Kentucky Attorneys’ Memo, and is a regular contributor to the Employer’s State Law Alert. Sharon made the decision to concentrate her focus on estate planning and related issues after personally seeing the difficulties families face in caring for aged and disabled family members. Sharon is a member of the Jasper County Bar Association and is licensed to practice law in Missouri, Kansas, and Kentucky, as well as the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri and the District of Kansas.

Sharon and her husband (who recently finished up a nine-month deployment with the Missouri National Guard) have two sons. She is a member of Forest Park Baptist Church in Joplin and enjoys being on the farm, taking road trips with her family, hiking with her boys, and photography.

Firm Description

As an Elder Law firm, we consider what is best for our clients from all points of view, including the legal, medical, financial, social and family issues. We approach these issues in an objective way, with a primary emphasis on promoting the highest quality of life for the individuals that we serve.

We became lawyers because we wanted to be problem solvers and strong advocates for those who need help with society’s institutions; and we wanted to help people with the legal planning that allows each of us to care for ourselves and to provide for those we care about. This is the philosophy that guides our practice everyday.

We assist clients in planning for the possibility of disability, incapacity, home health care, assisted living and/or nursing home placement. Through estate planning and asset protection planning, our firm helps clients to avoid probate and the impoverishment caused by the escalating cost of long term care. We also help our clients maintain their right to make health care decisions and avoid unnecessary medical treatment.

The sole focus of our Elder Law practice is the legal needs of the elderly and disabled. We meet with clients where they are most comfortable. If a client is unable to travel to our office, we can meet with them at their residence, assisted living facility, nursing home or hospital room.

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