Monica Franklin

(Retired)

After practicing elder law for five years (2000-2005), Monica became one of only fourteen Tennessee certified elder law attorneys, a designation bestowed by the National Elder Law Foundation. She founded the Elder Law Practice of Monica Franklin which is now Franklin & Kyle Elder Law. In 2007, she created her team of attorneys, social workers and public benefits coordinators to provide a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to help families navigate the long term care maze. She described her wrap-around approach to long-term care planning and asset preservation by saying “We help families find, get and pay for care and escort them through every step along the way”.

During her career, Monica was active in educating attorneys and other professionals as well as the general public about elder law. She has written numerous articles for Tennessee attorneys including a quarterly column published in the Tennessee Bar Journal about elder law issues called “Senior Moments.” The Tennessee Bar Association awarded Monica the Justice W. Henry Award for her 2006 article, Securing Momma’s Home, which was published in the Tennessee Bar Journal. This award is given annually to the lawyer who writes the most outstanding article published in the Tennessee Bar Journal. When presenting the award, TBA president, Larry Wilks, noted that Monica was only the second woman to win the award in the past twenty-five years, and the committee was unanimous in selecting Monica’s article for the award.Monica’s popular booklet, Saving Momma’s Home: 10 Frequently Asked Questions about Nursing Home Medicaid, remains available for downloading on our website.

Born in Tennessee, Monica grew up in Louisiana and graduated from McNeese State University in 1985 with a B.S. cum laude in Psychology and a minor in Math Education. While dabbling in various graduate courses at Louisiana Tech-Shreveport, LSU-Shreveport and Centenary College, Monica taught high school Geometry and Algebra in Shreveport, Louisiana with a special focus on the needs of children with disabilities. In 1989, she moved to Knoxville to attend the University of Tennessee College of Law. She graduated with a J.D. cum laude in 1992.