Practice areas: Medicaid planning, estate administration, estate planning, probate, litigation.
Education: BA, Capital University (1983); JD, with honors, Ohio State University (1989); Articles Editor, Ohio State Law Journal; Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award.
Andrew G. Sykes currently chairs the Elder Law Committee of the Allegheny County Bar Association. He has practiced law in Pittsburgh since 1991, and is a founding member of the Elder Law Offices of Petrich & Sykes, a Pittsburgh law firm devoted to serving the special legal needs of the elderly.

Mr. Sykes focuses his practice on helping married couples who need to qualify one spouse for Medicaid, while safeguarding resources and income for a spouse who lives at home or in assisted living. He also helps single or widowed Medicaid applicants take advantage of legally allowable means of protecting assets, such as deeding the residence to a caregiver child or establishing a special needs trust for a disabled son or daughter. For those who reside at home but may need greater care in the future, his focus is on creating an effective plan to ensure good care while preserving resources and making assets last as long as needed.

His goal is to find planning solutions tailored to each client's specific goals and circumstances.
In addition to his Medicaid practice, Mr. Sykes assists clients with estate planning, estate administration, probate matters (including will contests), defense against nursing home collection actions, and other related matters.

Mr. Sykes brings a strong background in government regulation, the judiciary, and litigation to the practice of elder law. After receiving his bachelor?s degree in political science, he spent three years as a legislative aide in the Ohio House of Representatives, eventually serving on the staff of the House Budget Committee.

After law school, Mr. Sykes received a prestigious appointment to a two-year clerkship with a federal judge, the Honorable Maurice B. Cohill, Jr., who was then Chief Judge of the Western District of Pennsylvania.

His understanding of federal and state regulatory systems proves invaluable in helping clients address Medicaid, probate, and tax issues. In addition to his active Medicaid and estate practice, Mr. Sykes has litigated cases in numerous areas, including guardianship, age discrimination, medical malpractice, personal injury, and products liability.

Mr. Sykes lectures frequently on elder law topics to professional and healthcare organizations. He is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and is listed in that organization's Experience Registry for Medicaid matters. He also belongs to the Elder Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Firm Description

The practice concentrates upon the unique needs of older individuals & their family members.

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