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Sponsor Spotlight: Chalgian & Tripp Law Office- More Than an Estate Plan
Chalgian & Tripp Law office’s comprehensive approach to special needs planning
Families come to Chalgian & Tripp Law Offices not just for answers, but for allies. Whether navigating government benefits, setting up a trust, or advocating for services, they find professionals who not only know the law—but have personal experiences with the challenges families face.
Chalgian & Tripp is Michigan’s largest special needs planning law firm with eight offices across Michigan. Its reputation rests on more than technical skill. What sets the firm apart is its thought leadership, its statewide presence, its hands-on policy work, and the deep personal investment of its team members to serve the disability community.
Personal Connections, Professional Commitment
Attorney Amy Tripp led the development of the special needs planning practice at Chalgian & Tripp, shaping its direction and focus from the beginning. “A good plan is never just a document,” Tripp explains. “It’s about seeing the full picture—how the legal, financial, medical, and government benefits all connect in someone’s life. We are constantly working to be knowledgeable across all the systems our families must navigate.”
Most attorneys on Chalgian & Tripp’s special needs team come to the practice with a personal connection. Attorney Christopher Smith is one of them. “My father was helping families with special needs planning back in the 1980s, before there were established laws and structures,” he explains. “And I have a sister with Down syndrome— so I’ve lived this work from both sides. It’s what drives me.”
These personal connections are shared across the team. Attorneys Sarah Kirkpatrick and Maria Messina Wiersma both have brothers with developmental disabilities. Attorney John Mabley, whose daughter has Angelman Syndrome, has spent considerable time focused on improving access to inclusive housing. As a person with a disability herself, Attorney Valerie Kutz-Otway’s own lived experiences have fueled her strong commitment to improving accessibility. “I often find myself thinking about situations from the client’s point of view because I live it every day,” she says.
Full-Scope Planning for Real Life
Chalgian & Tripp’s attorneys provide legal services across the full spectrum of special needs planning:
• Estate Planning
• First- and Third-party Special Needs Trusts
• ABLE accounts
• Guardianships and alternatives
• Medicaid and Social Security
• Trustee advising and trust administration
• Community Mental Health advocacy.
• Settlement planning.
The firm’s depth of expertise is demonstrated by its leading commitment to educating other attorneys in the field. Amy Tripp authors the definitive Michigan ICLE chapter on Special Needs Trusts: Planning, Drafting, and Administration. Valerie Kutz-Otway is a chief editor of ICLE’s Michigan Guardianship and Conservatorship Handbook. Jacquelyn Rygiel-Sprague and Erin Majka have also recently presented on trust drafting and administration through ICLE. And Christopher Smith recently spoke at the nationally prestigious Stetson Special Needs Planning and Special Needs Trust Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida.
More Than A Document: A Holistic Approach to Serving Clients
“From the beginning, we wanted to be known as a firm that does more than draft estate plans—we want to support families holistically,” says Amy Tripp. “A lot of firms throw around the word ‘holistic,’ but we’ve really built our team that way.”
Chalgian & Tripp’s commitment is reflected in the professionals who have joined the team from outside traditional legal backgrounds. Carrie Alexander, Rachael Ferguson, and Savahanna
Patrick bring deep experience in case management—Carrie having led the Springhill Pooled Trust, Rachael having worked with families through Easter Seals, and Savahanna Patrick’s work as a certified Community Health Worker. “You don’t learn this from a book,” Alexander says. “You learn it by working with families.”
“A special needs trust is not an end product—it’s a relationship,” says attorney Sarah Kirkpatrick. “Signing documents doesn’t end the journey for our clients, so our services must continue to meet their needs. That is why we have built our team to remain available through every stage of the process, such as providing trust administration support, benefits coordination, and advocacy when government systems fall short.”
The Expert’s Expert
Chalgian & Tripp does not just wait for the right people to find them— they actively seek out professionals who bring real-world expertise in the systems our clients must navigate. Whether it’s Medicaid, mental health services, or special education, the team consists of members who have spent their careers working intensely with the programs and agencies shaping their clients’ lives.
The firm recently welcomed Elizabeth Gallagher, who retired in 2024 after a distinguished career with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. There she helped shape and manage key home and community-based Medicaid programs, including the MI Choice waiver and Community Transition Program, with budgets exceeding $500 million.
“After years of working within the state’s Medicaid system, I am excited to help families navigate these bureaucracies from the outside and advocate for systematic changes to make Medicaid easier for families.”
Chalgian & Tripp also welcomed Kathy Homan, former President and CEO of the Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy. Kathy played a key role in the landmark Waskul v. Washtenaw County Community Mental Health case, which is leading discussions about what is truly required for individuals with disabilities to be participants in their communities. Her work now focuses on helping families navigate the complex challenges of receiving government services.
The firm even has U.S. Supreme Court experience in special education. Attorney Mitchell Sickon, through his work at Disability Rights of Michigan, helped guide the Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools case to an unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision.
In that case, the Court held that students with disabilities can pursue claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act— even if they’ve already gone through the special education process— because the relief available under civil rights laws goes beyond what education law alone can offer.
From the Boardroom to Congress
Chalgian & Tripp is not only a law firm but is also dedicated to serving the disability community in volunteer capacities. Attorney Christopher Smith sits on the Board of Directors of the Oakland Community Health Network and is the current Treasurer of the Special Needs Alliance.
Maria Messina Wiersma has served on the boards of both The Arc of Macomb County and The Arc of Michigan. Four of the firm’s attorneys— Doug Chalgian, Amy Tripp, Christopher Smith, and Maria Messina Wiersma— have each served as Chair of the Elder Law and Disability Rights Section of the State Bar of Michigan with attorney Susan Chalgian next in line to take on this leadership role.
Attorney Dan Blauw has been a leader in special needs trust administration since founding the nonprofit Hope Network Pooled Trust in 1999.
Both Kathy Homan and Elizabeth Gallagher have served on Michigan’s Olmstead Coalition, which has long been committed to advancing the rights of individuals with disabilities to live and thrive in community settings.
They are currently working to radically modify and modernize how Medicaid deductibles (also known as spend-downs) are calculated. This part of Medicaid has not changed in over 45 years.
The firm also has a deep commitment to public policy change.
For example, Christopher Smith previously co-chaired the public policy committee for the Special Needs Alliance, where he helped lead the passage of the Special Needs Trust Improvement Act, which provided key reforms to retirement benefits left to a special needs trust for clients with charitable intent.
He is now working on getting Congress to change Medicaid policy that unfairly penalizes individuals who do not receive SSI before SSDI.
At the state level, firm members are actively working to allow state pensions to be assigned to special needs trusts (current Michigan House Bills 4657-4660) and are currently looking at potential changes to strengthen the MIABLE program.
“Yes, public policy advocacy is part of how we serve the community—but it also makes us a better law firm,” Christopher Smith says. “The more we engage at the policy level, the better equipped we are to help individual clients navigate government.”
Trusted by Families, Respected by Peers
Chalgian & Tripp is recognized for its legal expertise and the trust it has built with families, professionals, and community partners across Michigan. By maintaining a strong presence throughout Michigan, the firm ensures that families statewide can access trusted counsel close to home, backed by the experience of a leading statewide practice.
The firm’s work spans estate planning, trust administration, public benefit advocacy, litigation, and policy reform—grounded in the belief that individuals with disabilities have the right to thrive in their communities.
