Martha Patterson

JD, CELA

Martha Patterson is a California Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, and Certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. This makes her one of the top 20 Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorneys in the State of California.

She is the founder of Geisler Patterson Law and focuses on Elder Law, Asset Protection and Estate Planning. Her office is located in Orange, near her home town of Anaheim where her dad Joseph Geisler served as City Attorney from 1955 until his death in 1973.

Like a Lioness I Protect You, Your Family and Your Assets” 

She is also a caregiver as her husband has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia.

She is a Member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, a founding member and past President of the Southern California Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Los Angeles County Bar Association, a past President of Southern California Council of Elder Law Attorneys and a member of the Alzheimer’s Public Policy Committee. She is the author of “The Nursing Home Dilemma,” “What If,” and a co-author of “Tax Free Money for Long Term Care.”  She has two new books, part of a series You’re Not Alone, one for those living with Alzheimer’s and one for Caregivers.

She also served on the Court Appointed Counsel Panel for the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Martha has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News, TMZ, KABC, KNX, and KKLA. She was able to help Kerri and Julie Kasem to visit their dad Casey Kasem and was instrumental in Kerri Kasem in obtaining Conservatorship over Casey Kasem.

She is also a frequent lecturer for the National Business Institute and is a frequent speaker for local MCLE events and at public forums on Estate Planning, Elder Law and Asset Protection.

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You Need a Certified Elder Law Attorney

Geisler Patterson Law
Elder Care and Special Needs Law

When you look for an attorney to help you with a special needs or elder law issue, you should look first at Certified Elder Law Attorneys near you. Why? Because they have demonstrated that they understand your legal problems, and they can help you.


The Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) certification has frequently been referred to as "the gold standard" for elder law and special needs practitioners. This reflects the hard work and proof required before an attorney can proudly proclaim that he or she holds the valued designation.

Preparation for a CELA designation includes several steps and several different types of qualifications, all of which are designed to assure that clients receive good legal care. Before being certified, an applicant must:

  1. Have practiced law for at least five years, and have focused at least half of their practice in the special needs/elder law field for at least the last three of those years.
  2. Demonstrate "substantial involvement" in special needs and elder law practice, by demonstrating a minimum number of individual cases, spread across a number of different categories making up the "elder law" definition.
  3. Study for, take and pass a rigorous, day-long written examination. Recent pass rates have been below 50% -- and that is of applicants who have already met the experience requirements.
  4. Undergo a review by peers and colleagues, focused on the applicant's reputation for ethical and competent representation in elder law and special needs planning matters.

There are only a little more than 400 CELAs in the country, so not every community has even one person who has been certified. Your lawyer should be a CELA -- it is your surest method of independently confirming that she (or he) is more than just qualified. After all, you deserve the best legal representation available.

Martha Patterson is Certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation; there are less than 35 CELAs in the State of California.

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