Robert C. Gerhard III

Omg I don’t know where to start with this man. Here we go. I lost my wife and I am fairly young man and I did not know the importance of have an estate lawyer. It’s not a joke how they system can just make it impossible for you. I am truly thankful of Bob with his team of helping me and saving me hundreds of thousand of dollars of which I could have never paid of. But because of his hard work and detail focused, good planning, and your love for people to do well in whatever walk of life they have. You made it happen for me and saved something for my kids to leave a good life and get opportunity to go college with very minimum debit. More could be said but no need. I want to conclude by blessing him and his team and wishing him all the best in his work - I believe his love for people make work hard. God bless him.

Robert Gerhard is an exceptional Elder Law attorney who I hired to make sense of a tangled legal situation involving the estate of a deceased family member. Without a formal will and interconnected paperwork, Bob was able to work through Pennsylvania's laws & regulations to establish an executor, file taxes, close out the estate and bring all fiduciary questions to a close. Without his knowledge, patience, personal and professional assistance, I would have been completely lost throughout the entire probate process. He made me feel comfortable and trustworthy at all times, explaining the "legalese" of government forms, etc., and the need for documentation. I feel that I couldn't have made a better choice for an Elder Law Attorney in Pennsylvania.

I secured the services of Robert Gerhard to handle my fathers estate after his passing. It was money well spent. Bob is extremely knowledgeable and thorough. Extremely transparent with all of the transactions and kept me abreast of everything that was happening. Thanks Bob.

I would like to say in all sincerity what a privilege it has been to work with Bob Gerhard. My mother began using his estate planning services over 20 years ago. He assisted her during a very difficult decision making process with the utmost of sensitivity and care. My husband and I followed and also reached out to Bob with our estate planning needs. He is highly qualified in Elder Law and walks you through each important step. Our family has been completely satisfied with his service and office personnel. I can highly recommend Bob Gerhard.

My father had recently moved to assisted living and I suggested to my Dad that this would be a good time to review and update his will and other estate planning. Our experience with Bob was as positive can be and we would recommend him with no hesitation. His assistance and guidance to my father was tremendous and his kind, compassionate nature made the entire process as simple as can be. Hiring him was the best decision possible!

We needed to redo our wills which we hadn’t touched in 40 years. Working with Bob was a pleasure. He provided valuable counsel on structure, tax issues, and family insights. Our friend’s recommendation to use Bob was spot on.

In early 2017, our family retained Bob Gerhard to handle a very complex elder law case. My father then 92, was in physical decline and in a nursing home. He was the legal guardian for my disabled brother, aged 62, who suffers from schizophrenia and lives in a group home. My father’s social security check, one of the primary sources of my brother’s room and board, was no longer available because as a Medicaid resident, that check now went to the nursing home. All of his equity was tied up in a condo that he now no longer resided at in and would have to sell. My father was really worried. I did some preliminary research and determined that a special needs trust might be an option to hold the sale proceeds from the sale of my father’s home and to support my brother. However, my own training as an attorney suggested numerous complications. First, the state of Pennsylvania already had a claim of right, similar to lien, on my father’s condo by virtue his status as a Medicaid recipient. Second, it wasn’t clear whether PA law would allow a special needs trust to be created for the benefit an out of state resident. Third, I had concerns that the special needs would generate incomes that might jeopardize my brother’s SSDI benefits. Fourth, the validity of my fathers’ guardianship was in question as it was entered into forty years ago in Massachusetts. At that point, I contacted five certified elder law attorneys in Philadelphia that had been provided to me. I live no the West Coast. Each attorney declined to take the case, saying it was too complicated and that they already had enough business. They said It was “too much work”. They dutifully wished me luck. I’m sure each uttered a sigh of relief when they hung up the phone. The sixth elder law attorney I spoke to listened but became more and more flummoxed as I went through the details. Finally, I heard a silence, followed by a deep breath, and then he said, “You know, you should talk to Bob Gerhard – If he can’t handle your case, no one can”. I called Bob that day. I immediately sensed a can-do attitude and an easy going, yet highly professional reassuring manner, someone who liked tough intellectually challenging cases. He said that my father’s case was indeed complicated and had some logistical challenges, but he was confident he could get us the desired outcome. Googling his name turned up another interesting tidbit – Bob Gerhard wrote the definitive legal treatise on Pennsylvania Medicaid Long-Term Care. Now everything was making sense. Bob was incredibly efficient in handling the case and kept us informed at all times. He guided us through all the steps to sell the condo, ensured that all the checks for the sale proceeds were deposited in the correct accounts and that the money was spent down below the statutory maximum allowed. We were able to fund so it would take care of my brother’s needs for the next 4-5 years. We also prepaid my dad’s funeral expense which was close to $12,000. When the time came time for the Delaware County attorney to sign-off on the trust, the approval was almost immediate. I imagine having the name Robert Gerhard III on the motion had something to do with that. Bob also drew up a new General Power of Attorney and HealthCare Power of Attorney for us, ascertaining my father’s wishes on a teleconference call. My dad took an instant liking to Bob. Afterwards he said, “Wow, where’d you find that guy. He’s the real deal.” My dad passed away in December 2018. Bob sent us a wonderful letter of condolence. Bob Gerhard is what attorneys call a lawyer’s lawyer. He’s a consummate professional. His commitment to the law is unstinting. He is one of the leading, if not the leading authority on Elder Law in the state of Pennsylvania. We’re very fortunate to have found him.

We consulted Bob Gerhard as to whether our Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Living Wills from Maryland were valid in Pennsylvania and to change our Wills. He indicated that all documents were OK and made changes we requested. He was knowledgeable, efficient and a pleasure to work with. We will certainly work with him again in the future as needed.

My family and I chose Gerhard and Gerhard for its exemplary reputation in the area and Bob Gerhard exceeded our highest expectations. Bob did an excellent job drafting our parents’ wills, and then several years later I returned to him to execute the closure of their estate. It was an absolute pleasure working with Bob and his staff, and their professionalism and kindness made a sad necessity and notoriously complicated process very manageable and stress-free. As an out-of-state executrix, I could not have navigated the requirements and paperwork myself, and Bob handled everything and guided me through the process efficiently and expediently. I wholeheartedly recommend Bob Gerhard and his thoughtful, careful expertise to anyone in need of estate planning services!

I can't thank Bob enough for all of the help he gave me and my family with both getting approved for Medicaid and getting my husband into a good nursing home after he was diagnosed with dementia. He recently passed away but was well cared with much love during this past year. Bob explained things in a way that we could understand, handled a lot of paperwork that was beyond our understanding, and took a heavy burden off our shoulders during a very difficult time. I will always be grateful for all of his help.

For anyone who needs an elder care attorney, please contact Robert Gerhard. Bob is extremely kind, patient, and beyond helpful. He is direct and clear of what he expects from you, as well as what he will accomplish for you. My husband was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia, and needed to be placed in a care facility. Bob guided me through what was needed to apply for Medicaid, completed the application process for me, and my husband was approved. The advice that Bob gave me and the time frames to complete what had to be done were so helpful. He is direct and to the point, but understands it is a difficult time you are going through. Take notes, listen intently to what he says and advises. It helped me during my husband’s illness, and after his death. He is a gentleman, and someone you can trust.

We sought Bob's advice regarding the settling of our mother's estate. I will recommend him to all needing elder law advice. Bob was so responsive and kind during our meetings. He is prompt with following up and keep us informed of all developments, as they arose. Bob has a gentle way about him that makes working with him such a pleasure, not to mention his knowledge and experience is such an asset to his clients. We could not be happier with our service and also the positive outcome of our case.

Mr. Gerhard called me promptly and gave me good advice about my problem with a burial fund. I am following his kind advice.

Back in 2004, my parents were in need of some estate planning guidance, and I found Bob through a web search. I don't know what we would have done without Bob throughout these years. He was kind and generous and went above & beyond our expectations. He and his staff were always just a phone call or email away, and the sometimes complex information they provided was always presented in a way that was easy to understand. Bob was an excellent listener and picked up on underlying issues that I may not have been able to express clearly. His advice was always tailored to where we were at, with a look to the future. His knowledge of the law and eldercare was second to none, but he was always ready to suggest another professional if the advice needed was not his expertise. I would highly recommend him for any of your legal needs.

This review is long overdue. In September 2012 my mother suffered a severe stroke and entered a nursing home in Montgomery County. At the same time my father entered the same facility in assisted living. The monthly cost for both was $15,000. Their assets, including their unsold home would have supported that level of expense for just 2 years. In early 2013 my father's family lawyer referred us to Bob Gerhard to assist in compiling and filing my mother's application for PA State LTC assistance. Bob and his assistant helped to obtain all the necessary financial account documents for my parents' accounts over the previous 5 years which needed to be submitted with the application, a task that would have been impossible for me to undertake alone. Bob also helped to put together a financial plan that preserved as much of my parents' assets as possible for my father's use, who would continue living in the assisted living facility with considerable monthly expense. Through an innovative idea to create a dedicated Trust for my father's medical needs, all his assisted living expenses would be taken care of for the next 5+ years. Bob had the State review the language of the Trust Agreement to ensure their written acknowledgement it would not negatively effect my mother's eligibility for State LTC benefits. Bob also ensured that 2 loans I had made to my parents a decade prior were acknowledged by the State in writing and fully paid back with some of the proceeds from the sale of my parents' home. Unfortunately my father passed away a year later. I engaged Bob once again to handle settling my father's Estate and take care of all the implications his Estate had with respect to my mother's eligibility for State LTC benefits. I honestly can't say enough good things about Bob as an Elder Care and Estate Planning lawyer. He took a very stressful, complicated situation and with his knowledge, extensive contacts, diligence and compassion, presented my parents and I with the most positive outcome we could have imagined. While my father was still alive, his financial and care needs were met, my mother's financial and care needs continue to be met and I received repayment of all loans I had made to my parents prior to the LTC benefit filing with the State. And that's all because of Bob. Bob's fees were very reasonable and transparent from the first day I met with him. He always responded promptly to any question or information need that I had. I highly recommend him.