FORT WAYNE – Charles W. Backs has joined Barnes & Thornburg’s Fort Wayne office as a partner in the firm’s Corporate Department, where he counsels clients on wealth management and estate planning.
Backs regularly counsels individuals and family clients, including veterans, on establishing and managing their assets and assisting with healthcare decisions. He also has experience in elder law, estate planning and administration, trust administration and veterans’ benefits planning.
“We are proud to welcome Charles to Barnes & Thornburg because of the distinct skillset he brings, especially his work with veterans and their families,” said Randy Brown, managing partner of the Fort Wayne office. “Many families today are wrestling with the challenges associated with planning their futures, and we are pleased to have Charles here to help our clients who may need assistance in these areas.”
In addition to wealth management, Backs assists clients with Medicaid planning and healthcare decision for disabled individuals.
He has advised numerous clients in the areas of wills, revocable living trusts and the funding of those assets, asset preservation and nursing home expense planning, guardianships, powers of attorney, living wills, and the probate administration process.
Backs is an accredited attorney for the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for Veterans Affairs Benefits before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
He is a member of the Allen County, American and Indiana State bar associations. He also is a member of the Branch County Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, Elder Law Section of the Indiana State Bar Association and National Association for Elder Law Attorneys.
He earned his J.D. from Valparaiso University in 1996. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Indiana University in 1993.
With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from 14 offices in Atlanta, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.
