By Brittany Cravatta
Are you in need of a plan? Unsure of what tomorrow may bring? Or in need of an attorney to help you with estate planning? Thankfully, the Tampa area can rely on Andrew McDannold at McDannold Law! McDannold Law provides services in estate planning, elder law, guardianship, special needs planning, probate, and veteran’s benefits. All of these categories have significant differences that some people may not understand. Therefore, here is a brief explanation of their meanings:
Estate planning is the process of naming who will receive all of the property that one owns at the time of death. Guardianship deals with those who are aging and lose the ability to care for themselves, therefore a close relative or friend is legally appointed to make financial decisions for them.
Probate is a court-supervised process of transferring someone’s property to the person named on the will.
Elder Law describes specific legal needs of a person as the age such as medicare, social security, pensions, care in nursing homes, and other retirement plans.
Veterans Benefits deals with U.S veterans who are entitled to specific benefits and it is encouraged that they should not settle for anything less than what they deserve.
McDannold Law provides a very relaxed and comfortable environment and Andrew dedicates his time to getting to know his new clients personally to see what they look for in an attorney.
“When you’re coming to see me, it doesn’t feel like you’re coming to see a lawyer.” Stated McDannold. “The first time someone comes to see me, we’re going to sit out in the conference room, have a cup of coffee, and we’re going to get to know each other. I want to get to know the client and I want the client to be comfortable with me.”
Andrew was born and raised in Tampa and grew up in the South Tampa area. In 1985, he left to join the U.S military. During his military career, he designed and led the first-ever operational test of the nation’s primary electronic warfare aircraft, managed software development for the B-2 “stealth” bomber, served two tours of duty in Iraq as a military advisor, create logistics plans for U.S Central Command, and commanded a squadron responsible for managing aircraft maintenance. He returned to the city of Tampa in 2010 and finally opened his law practice in summer of 2017.
As a follower of Christ, McDannold prayed on what he would do with the rest of his life following his retirement from the military. He eventually attended law school, passed the bar exam and opened his own law practice.
“I believed that it was a thoughtful analysis of how God wanted me,” Andrew said. “I was always the type of person to read every single page of any contract before I signed it. The more that I thought about it and the more that I prayed about it, the more that God showed me that the way I think about things is similar to how a lawyer goes about doing their job.”
McDannold specified that while he works with people of all ages, he really likes to concentrate on elder law due to his own grandparents being a formative part of his upbringing.
“I’ve always had a sensitive spot towards older folks and so that passion is what drew me towards elder law and working as an attorney.” Andrew said.
Andrew is currently married with four children, three daughters and a son. He’s a member of the Florida Bar, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and the North Tampa Bar Association.
He is the president of the Pasco County Estate Planning Attorneys Association and the Kingdom Business Alliance. He is the treasurer of the Thomas E. Pennick American Inn of Court, an accredited attorney by the Veterans Affairs Association, and he is suited to practice before the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Washington.
McDannold Law is located at 17894 N US Hwy 41, Lutz, Florida, 33549. If you wish to speak with Andrew to learn more about his practice, you can call him at (813) 397-6330, send him an email at andrew@mcdannoldlaw.com or visit his website at www.mcdannoldlaw.com.