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Associate
Phone: (865) 546-7311
Fax: (865) 524-1773
Email: mcrowder@kmfpc.com
MICHAEL R. CROWDER helps his clients plan for life. He teams up with his clients to formulate an estate plan that meets their needs and desires, and crafts their wills and trusts in a way that ensures their assets are best utilized during their life and then effectively passed along at death, taxes are minimized, protection from creditors is maximized, and, most importantly, loved ones are provided for.
Michael particularly enjoys being an advocate for his elderly clients. He assists them in planning for, applying for, and remaining eligible for Medicaid, VA, SSI, and other benefits - he has won multiple hard-fought appeals for his clients' TennCare and SSI benefits. He also helps them negotiate, or, if necessary, litigate family disputes over property rights or other issues. Additionally, he helps clients obtain and administer conservatorships for their disabled loved ones.
Michael also assists in the administration of estates in probate court, and helps his small business and non-profit clients on issues ranging from formation and governance, taxes, contracts, fundraising, employment issues, property rights, and litigation.
Michael received his law degree from the University of Tennessee, College of Law and his undergraduate degree in Religion from Princeton University, where he studied the history of early Christianity and also played offensive line on the football team. Michael and his wonderful wife, Katey, have one son, Henry. When he's not with his clients, you can usually find Michael with his family working on a new "project" for their 90-year-old house in north Knoxville.
Areas of Practice
Trust and Estate Planning and Administration
Elder Law
Business and Corporate Law
Churches, Nonprofit, and Tax-Exempt Organizations
Education
Master of Law (LL.M.), Estate Planning & Elder Law
Western New England University School of Law, 2018
Juris Doctor (J.D.)
University of Tennessee College of Law, 2014
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Religion
Princeton University, 2011
Honors
Cityview Magazine, Top Attorney in Elder Law, 2018
Bar Admissions
Tennessee – 2014
Memberships
National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
Knoxville Estate Planning Council
Knoxville Bar Association
Tennessee Bar Association
Publications
Overview of the New Tax Deduction for Pass-Through Business Owners | KMF Newsletter: Spring 2018
What is Planned Giving? | KMF Newsletter: Fall 2017
Protecting Assets from Creditors via the "TIS Trust" | KMF Newsletter: Spring 2017
Remain Qualified for Government Benefits Using Self-Settled Special Needs Trusts | KMF Newsletter: Fall 2016
ABLE Accounts | KMF Newsletter: Summer 2016
Estate Planning to Avoid Probate | KMF Newsletter: Spring 2016
Social Security COLA and Increasing Medicare Part B Premiums | KMF Newsletter: Winter 2016
Proposed Rules on Faith-Based Social Services | KMF Newsletter: Fall 2015
An Introduction to the Ministerial Exception | KMF Newsletter: June 2015
Social Security for Married Couples | KMF Newsletter: Spring 2015
Churches and the FMLA's New Definition of "Spouse" | KMF Newsletter: April 2015
Speaking Engagements
Michael regularly gives presentations on topics related to his practice areas. If you would like Michael to speak to your group, please contact him. Some of his recent speaking engagements include:
“Ethics in Probate Practice,” National Business Institute, December 2017
“Administering the Estate Effectively,” National Business Institute, August 2017
“Using Irrevocable Trusts to Qualify for Medicaid and VA Benefits,” National Business Institute, November 2016
“Medicaid Estate Recovery Rules, Remedies and Appeals,” National Business Institute, August 2016
“Social Security Retirement Benefits: Looking at the Big Picture to Benefit Your Client,” Tennessee Attorneys Memo, May 2016
“The Nuts and Bolts of Social Security Retirement Benefits,” TBA Court Square Series, July 2015