Attorney Resources

Providing attorneys with the specialized guidance, risk-mitigation tools, and case-planning frameworks required to protect benefits and strengthen outcomes in divorces involving a child with disabilities.

Quick Access Tools

Case Complexity Indicators

A concise, attorney-oriented assessment tool that helps attorneys identify the legal, financial, and benefits-related risks most likely to destabilize a special needs divorce case.

Decree Language Essentials

Key clauses and drafting principles that help attorneys avoid benefit‑disrupting language and strengthen long‑term stability for the child.

Benefits Interaction Map

A clear, visual overview of how SSI, Medicaid, child support, alimony, and parenting‑time decisions interact — and where attorneys must proceed with precision.

Attorney Intake Checklist

A structured set of questions that ensures attorneys capture the critical medical, educational, financial, and benefits‑related details at the start of the case.

Template & Checklists

A curated library of attorney‑ready tools designed to support precise drafting, accurate intake, and benefit‑safe case planning in special‑needs divorce matters.

Benefit‑Safe Support Template

A structured drafting template that helps attorneys frame child support, alimony, and shared‑expense arrangements in ways that avoid SSI/Medicaid disruption and preserve long‑term stability for the child.

Attorney Intake Checklist

A comprehensive intake tool covering medical, educational, financial, and benefits‑related details — ensuring attorneys capture the critical information required to assess risk and plan the case effectively.

Transition Milestones Checklist

A clear, age‑based roadmap outlining key service changes, eligibility shifts, and planning milestones attorneys must anticipate as a child with disabilities moves toward adulthood.

Post‑Divorce Reporting Checklist

A practical reference detailing what families must report, when, and to whom — helping attorneys prevent benefit interruptions and maintain compliance after the decree is finalized.

Guidelines & Frameworks

Structured guidance and professional frameworks to help attorneys navigate the complex financial and benefits issues unique to special needs divorce.

Mistake #1

Treating a Special Needs Divorce
Like a Typical Divorce

Treating a special needs divorce like a standard case leads to critical financial, benefits, and care planning errors because disability-related rules fundamentally change how every part of the divorce must be structured.

Mistake #2

Misunderstanding How Support
Impacts Benefits

Misunderstanding how different types of support are counted by SSI, Medicaid, and related programs can unintentionally reduce or eliminate a child’s benefits, creating avoidable long‑term problems.

Mistake #3

Failing to Build a
Benefits-Safe Support Strategy

Building a support plan without aligning it to SSI and Medicaid rules can cause the support to be counted incorrectly, leading to avoidable benefit loss.

Mistake #4

Ignoring the Lifetime
Financial Trajectory of the Child

Failing to plan across the child’s full financial lifespan creates predictable benefit disruptions and long‑term stability problems at key transition ages.

Mistake #5

Choosing the
Wrong Trust Structure

Selecting a truststructure that doesn’t match the child’s benefits and funding sources can create eligibility problems, payback exposure, and long‑term planning failures.

Mistake #6

Failing to Coordinate the
Entire Professional Team

When the legal, financial, benefits, medical, and educational professionals don’t share information or align their work, the plan fractures and critical decisions become incompatible.

Mistake #7

Not Preparing the Family for the
Post-Divorce Reality

When families aren’t prepared for how benefits, support, and care requirements function after the decree, predictable mistakes emerge that disrupt stability and undermine the long‑term plan.

CLEs & Training

I deliver attorney‑focused CLEs and professional trainings that translate complex special‑needs planning rules into clear, actionable guidance. Each program is designed to strengthen case strategy, reduce risk, and elevate the quality of representation for families with disabilities.

Benefit‑Safe Support CLE

A deep dive into structuring support in ways that preserve SSI/Medicaid eligibility and prevent long‑term benefit disruption.

Advanced Case Strategy Workshop

A scenario‑based training that helps attorneys identify risks, evaluate options, and build benefit‑safe case plans.

Special‑Needs Divorce Essentials

A foundational training covering the legal, financial, and benefits‑related issues attorneys must anticipate in every case.

Firm‑Wide or Bar Association CLE

A customizable program tailored to the needs of firms, bar associations, and professional groups seeking specialized education.

Contact

Get in Touch

If you’re working on a case involving SSI, Medicaid, or long-term eligibility, I’m here to help you navigate the details with clarity and confidence.

Email
bret@hortindivorce.com

Phone
385-257-4246

Location
Salt Lake City, Utah
Supporting attorneys and CDFAs nationwide.