OUR TEAM

  Jerrold Bartholomew, Principal & Attorney at Law

        Jerry is an attorney and the founder of Priority Elder Law & Estate Planning, PLC.   He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and admitted to the Eastern District of Michigan Federal Court, as well as enjoying memberships in the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys, the Financial Planning Association of Michigan, the National Lawyers Association, and the Lapeer County Bar Association.  He is the author of the popular MichiganElderLaw.info blog on current elder law issues in Michigan.

        Jerry received his B.A. in Literature and Classical Languages from Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL, and his M.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John's College, Annapolis, MD. He later received his Juris Doctor from Ave Maria School of Law, Ann Arbor, MI, where he served as an officer of the National Lawyers Association and worked to promote the goals of the Lex Vitae organization. He served as a law clerk for the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation, and a distinguished Michigan law firm. He then practiced with a well-established firm in elder law, estate planning and bankruptcy for a number of years before founding his own practice.

        Prior to entering the field of law, Jerry taught Latin, English and History, and coached lacrosse for several years in Miami, FL.  Outside of the practice of law, Jerry is active in his church and finds time for his wife, their six children, epic poetry, Mexican food, clay target shooting, trips up north, and his Labrador and Golden Retrievers.  He also enjoys humbling himself on the golf course from time to time.

   Jennifer Bartholomew, Business Development Director

        Jen is always looking for a challenge, so she was very grateful to have the opportunity to get involved in Priority's business development activities.  From strategic development to marketing to practice management,  Jen is involved in all aspects of the firm outside of legal work.  Providentially, she was prepared well for this role while working for several years in Miami under the direction of a superb attorney, marketing director and development expert.  Later Jen used those skills in her role of Business Development Coordinator at a Michigan law firm before helping her husband found Priority.

        She is thrilled to be involved in the elder care field, having grown up surrounded by her three living grandparents.  Those close relationships gave her a tremendous appreciation for the elderly -- their stories, knowledge, frugality, good common sense, and incredible wisdom -- and also allowed her to see the challenges inherent in caregiving and decision-making in those later years. "I love being able to help families answer their questions and find solutions," she says, "especially when they are frustrated or confused.  And I tremendously enjoy helping to build up a business that I know is in a position to do so much good for families facing end-of-life issues."

       Jen attended college at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN, and graduate school at St. John's College, Annapolis, MD.  She is a member of the Legal Marketing Association, and the mother to six energetic children, ages 11-1.

  Laura Shea, Client Services Specialist 

        Laura is a true master of making people feel welcome, an art she perfected over the nearly 25 years she and her husband owned a family resort up north.  In that role, she rarely forgot a name or a face, or the little details of people's lives -- a feat that amazed many over the years.  Now she is able to bring that same friendliness, hospitality and administrative ability to her efforts at Priority, where she reaches out to clients to help them through the process of elder and estate planning.   

       No stranger to disability and caregiving, Laura helped take care of her parents for many years until their deaths.  Valedictorian of her high school class, Laura received a full scholarship to attend college.  Yet halfway through her studies, her father was stricken with Multiple Sclerosis and became wheelchair-bound, where he remained for the next forty years, and could no longer work.  Laura had to leave her studies in order to help support her parents.  So she is familiar with the sacrifices that are required to care for those we love, and how rewarding those sacrifices can turn out to be. 

        Later in her life, Laura's mother was stricken with dementia, and providing care and finding appropriate housing proved incredibly challenging.  Laura is glad to have the opportunity to lend support and encouragement to those who are facing the same challenges today. 

        Laura enjoys spending time with her husband of 39 years, as well as her three children and eight grandchildren; she enjoys gardening, reading, and traveling throughout Michigan and elsewhere.  We are thrilled that she is willing to bring her service-oriented spirit, her cheerfulness and her savvy to contribute to the efforts of our law firm.

  Christine Lyons, R.N., Life Care Planning Coordinator

      It seems like magic the way Chris can solve problems, give sage advice, answer questions, and understand people almost instantly.  She combines amazing warmth with efficiency, common sense and intuition.  We are blessed to have her involved in our work at Priority, where she acts as an advisor on any life care planning issues that arise.

       A registered nurse for more than 30 years practicing in the Metro Detroit area, Chris is able to understand a person's overall health picture, give a targeted assessment of that person's needs and clarify the decisions that should follow.  She then draws on her experience with Michigan's health care and housing options to offer appropriate guidance.  (Chris has a daughter who directs an assisted living facility in Arizona, and a daughter-in-law who is a physician, and both have helped give her extraordinary insight into these areas.) Chris has specifically worked over the years as a hospice nurse, allowing her to understand the difficulties of end-of-life issues and offer a family faced with those issues the unique perspective of a health care provider. She also spent several years making home health care visits and assessments for homebound elderly Medicaid patients through Beaumont Hospital.  

       In addition to her extensive professional background, Chris has invaluable experience as a caregiver.  She lovingly cared for her Type-1 Diabetic husband for nearly thirty years until his death ten years ago.  And today, she continues to assist her darling 90-year-old mother through the challenges of independent living at that age.

       A practicing nurse, mother of four and grandmother of eight, Chris is always busy helping people.  She is a tremendous addition to our team, and she embodies the philosophy we strive for at Priority:  sincere warmth combined with excellent solutions.

Our philosophy

Priority Elder Law & Estate Planning, PLC, is a firm devoted to sound planning, collaboration with the client and with various other professionals, responsiveness, and superior results for clients.

This firm, it is hoped, will in some way give glory to God, and truly help families who are so often lost and unsure of how to proceed when caring for aging family members, preparing for the future, or facing serious end-of-life issues.  We are devoted to making those situations easier through both warmth and sound financial and legal decision-making.

PRO-LIFE policy

Our firm is committed to supporting life from conception to natural death.  Therefore, although we would welcome the opportunity to work with those who do not agree with our position, we will not engage in practices that prematurely hasten death, e.g., obtaining a guardianship for the purpose of withholding food or water for an elderly or handicapped person.