4545 E Shea Blvd
Suite 173
Phoenix, AZ 85028
(602) 494-8022

Chester B. McLaughlin   
Candace Schulte   |   Gail Wiggs   |   Katherine Murphy     

"Meeting the Needs of Seniors"  

CHESTER B. MCLAUGHLIN, JD, practices in the areas of elder, mental health and probate law. He established his own private practice in February, 1995 after having worked as an associate attorney in the Law Offices of Charles Arnold for three years. Prior to that, as a corporate health law attorney with the Samaritan Foundation, Mr. McLaughlin provided legal advice on patient-care related matters and assisted in developing corporate wide medical-legal policies. As an Assistant Attorney General he represented the Arizona State Hospital in court-ordered treatment cases and provided advice concerning federal surveys and investigations and in the areas of risk management, consent, confidentiality and patient rights.

His private practice is primarily focused on elder law, including extensive practice in long term care planning and guardianship and conservatorship law. His practice also includes special needs trusts, estate planning, probate litigation, probate of decedents’ estates, and mental health law. He sometimes represents criminal defendants seeking discharge after being committed to the Arizona State Hospital.

Mr. McLaughlin is immediate past Vice President of the Arizona Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and currently co-chairs its Public Policy Committee.  He also served previously as chair of the Arizona Chapter and received an award for outstanding Chapter Member for 1995. He is a former secretary and former member of the Board of Directors of the Arizona Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association as well as former co-chair of its Public Policy Committee. He was named board member of the year for 1998 and Volunteer of the Month in the fall of 1998. He was the subject of an article in the Arizona Attorney Magazine on his volunteer work with the Alzheimer’s Association.

In addition, Mr. McLaughlin is a member and former board member and former co-chair of the Mental Health and Elder Services Section of the Arizona Bar Association and a member of the Probate and Trust section of the Arizona State Bar. He is the Chair of the Patient Self Determination Act Committee of the State Bar, which is empowered to a draft summary of the state law regarding the rights of persons to accept/refuse medical treatment and to formulate advance directives.  His also served on the Governor's Council on Aging and was chair of the Alzheimer's Advisory Committee to the Council.

Mr. McLaughlin has received the following recognitions, and achieved the following:

Mr. McLaughlin received his BA degree from the Colorado College in 1979 and his law degree from St. Louis University School of Law in 1983.

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Candace Schulte, ALTCS/Medicaid Planning Assistant

Candace Schulte joined the Law Offices of Chester B. McLaughlin, P.C. in 2005 with five years experience with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS).  Her duties as an eligibility interviewer included evaluating ALTCS applications for eligibility and investigating financial holdings of applicants through face-to-face and telephonic interviews and independent verification.  As an eligibility interviewer supervisor she was responsible for managing staff, reviewing case files to ensure correct application of ALTCS policy, and resolving customer complaints and issues. Candace also worked in the Quality Compliance Department where she was responsible for reviewing eligibility determinations made by ALTCS and DES staff to ensure correct Medicaid eligibility for those programs.

Candace focuses on ALTCS/Medicaid planning, processing client applications with the ALTCS agency and doing research on other public benefits programs such as AHCCCS, SSI and HUD.  Candace's  extensive ALTCS experience and in-depth knowledge of AHCCCS policy allow her to easily relate to seniors and their families, to translate complicated issues into understandable terms and to ensure that clients are well-informed of any medical assistance potentially available to them.  Candace is friendly, outgoing, and gets along extremely well with clients.

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GAIL B. WIGGS, Certificate as a Legal Assistant

Gail Wiggs joined the Law Offices of Chester B. McLaughlin, P.C. in 2005  with over 16 years of legal experience. She has extensive experience with guardianship, conservatorship, domestic relations, probate administration and probate litigation matters.  Gail has a B.A. in English from Lenior Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C. and a Certificate as a Legal Assistant from Phoenix College in Arizona.

Gail focuses on probate, guardianship and conservatorship matters. Her experience in helping families in crisis coupled with her communication skills and intuitive intelligence gives her the ability to focus on legal matters with caring and sensitivity.  Clients quickly learn that they and their loved ones are supported by Gail as she facilitates the legal process in as painless a manner as possible.

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Katherine Murphy, Legal Secretary and ALTCS Planning Assistant

Katy Murphy joined the Law Offices of Chester B. McLaughlin, P.C. in 1998 with 10 years customer service experience. Starting as front desk manager, Katy quickly moved into a legal secretary position. In addition to her legal secretary responsibilities, Katy schedules and coordinates firm seminars, creates the power point presentations for seminars, and processes client applications with the ALTCS agency. Katy’s multi-dimensional experience with the firm makes her an exceptional and valuable resource to clients.

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