Michael Rose | Estate Planning

Rose Elder Law

Michael Rose | Rose Elder Law

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Firm Summary

Michael Rose is an Elder Law Attorney based in Lake Oswego. His practice is focused on assisting clients through the retirement years with thoughtful estate plans and crisis management. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Willamette University College of Law and his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University. Michael comes from a long line of Oregonians who helped to settle the Mid-Willamette valley. He is a husband and father of three.

If you follow the Willamette River all the way up to its source, you will run into an old timber town called Oakridge, Oregon. Oakridge is a beautiful and historical logging community in the heart of the Cascade range where the air is full and the river water runs pure. I was fortunate enough to be raised in Oakridge during the 1980’s when every day was spent hiking the mountain in my back yard, exploring for treasure, building forts, and riding my bicycle up Salmon Creek river for a cool dip on a hot summer day. Some of my favorite family memories are from the many all-day family trips to Hills Creek Reservoir, swimming, water skiing, and enjoying a picnic. Grandma always brought chicken and her “famous” concoction of cranberry juice with 7up. We thought she was a genius.

The late 1980s brought financial hardship to our family when the Spotted owl demanded that we stop chopping down the beautiful old-growth forests. The Federal Government curtailed the timber industry and my father lost his job. As a result, our family lost our home to foreclosure and, because everyone in town needed a job, work was hard to come by. We took up residence in my grandparent’s home for two years while my father bounced from one part-time job to another, often holding down 3-4 part-time jobs at a time. Those were tough financial times, especially for a family of 7, but as a kid with unlimited energy and imagination, I found ways to create a happy world wherever we went. I also learned the value of hard physical labor as a 10-year-old working alongside my father. Some of my most cherished memories are the times we would leave at 5:00 am to drive far up into the mountains, cut firewood, bring it home, chop, and stack it. There is something very nostalgic for me when I see or smell fresh cut Douglas Fir, Cedar, or Ponderosa Pine.

​I grew up being very close to all of my grandparents and many of my great-grandparents. These close associations nurtured in me a fondness for the older generation. I enjoyed listening to the stories of the way things “used to be,” and found strong role models to pattern my life after. However, I was also a first-hand witness of the tragedies of aging. At the age of 19, I gathered with my family around my great-grandmother’s bed as she lay dying from cancer to pray that the Lord would ease her pain and take her quickly to his home. Shortly after that my cousin and I began making regular trips to the memory care home in Thurston, Oregon, to visit another great-grandmother, Pauline, who had Alzheimer’s disease and who had recently lost her husband to the same disease. I remember one conversation with Pauline that has always stuck with me. Pauline had 6 children, all of whom turned out to be wonderful people. I asked her “how did you get so lucky to have such great kids?” Her reply took me by surprise. “I loved my kids so much,” she said, “that it was punishment enough just to know that I was disappointed with them.” This was a statement of fact. No matter what happened to our family, I always knew that we were loved.

I am now a husband and father of three amazing children. Family is the most important part of my life. I want my clients to feel that they are a part of my family. I take time to get to know my clients, their stories, backgrounds, and all of the interesting details. For me, what I do is about helping people and sometimes, the best thing we can do for each other is to recognize one another as a human being with feelings, hopes, cares, and concerns. I hope each of my clients feels this level of care when they come to our office.

Becoming an Elder Law Attorney seemed to be a natural fit for me. I lost my own father to a tragic accident in 2007, and his father died the next year following a massive heart attack. Not knowing the laws regarding incapacity, death, and probate became very real for me. I watched the emotional and financial toll these tragedies took on our family and felt powerless to provide any assistance. I knew I wanted to do something that would allow me to make a real difference in the lives of my closest family members. Being an Elder Law Attorney has been a huge blessing for my family and for hundreds of other families in the Willamette Valley. I see a lot of life’s tragedies but feel grateful that I am able to offer a helping hand to protect our elders and bring peace to their loved ones.