Julie Martin got her start with The Law Offices of Chester B. McLaughlin as one of Arizona’s foremost legal assistants in Medicaid and special needs law, and became an associate attorney with that firm when she was admitted to the Arizona State Bar in March 2019. Upon Mr. McLaughlin's retirement in 2021, Julie opened her own firm, Julie Martin Elder & Special Needs Law, PLLC. Julie is the firm’s go-to person for all public benefits matters. She develops long term care planning strategies and handles the preparation and execution of public benefits applications, including ALTCS, AHCCCS, DDD, and VA improved pension. She has many years’ experience drafting special needs and income-only trusts, preparing required public benefits forms, and providing instruction letters and assistance to the trustees. She is also well-versed in other public benefits program policies, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Nutrition Assistance (NA), and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8. She also handles guardianship, conservatorship, court-supervised trust matters, and estate planning matters, as well as contested litigation.

Julie understands the many challenges our clients face, from a personal as well as a professional level. Julie is mother to four children, three of whom are now adults and two of whom have been formally diagnosed with autism. Although Julie does not practice education law, she has a unique understanding of the challenges of the IEP/504 processes, having been through them herself as a parent, both before and after she became a lawyer. She also helps her elderly stepfather and his wife coordinate their medical care, takes them to their medical appointments, and helps ensure their needs are met when they experience changes in their medical conditions, while working full-time and parenting her youngest child as a single parent.

Presentations and Seminars

Julie is a skilled public speaker and has presented at numerous seminars. As a third-year law student, Julie was invited to speak at an Arizona State Bar Continuing Legal Education seminar, where she discussed the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act and ALTCS eligibility requirements. In 2017, she facilitated an Arizona NAELA discussion about ALTCS medical eligibility.

Julie works from her home in Surprise and travels to the Surprise and Prescott offices as needed. Diligent and compassionate, Julie skillfully helps seniors, individuals with disabilities, and their families navigate and understand the complex interplay between estate planning, Medicaid, probate, tax, and medical issues. Julie is passionate about helping veterans and enjoys volunteering for veterans’ assistance projects such as Arizona StandDown and Disabled American Veterans legal clinics.