About Us
At Fortified Elder Law, we are an expert resource when it comes to protecting our clients’ assets. As one of the area’s only crisis Medicaid planning attorneys, Rachel Fortenberry saw a need for a firm focused on asset protection, estate planning, and Medicaid eligibility. Rachel founded Fortified Elder Law with expert strategies, know-how, and the experience of helping more than fifty families become Medicaid eligible.
Fortified Elder Law believes in Education, Service, and Community. As a firm, we seek to provide educational resources to the Springfield area to explain Medicaid eligibility and how to avoid probate. Our firm believes in providing excellent customer service with good communication and respect. We pride ourselves in being a lifelong resource for clients to ask questions and provide answers.
Fortified Elder Law is a sponsor of the Springfield Walk to End Alzheimer’s. We are also members of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Springfield North Kiwanis International.
Rachel Fortenberry
Founder and Attorney, Fortified Elder Law
Rachel Fortenberry founded Fortified Elder Law to help Missouri families protect loved ones, life savings, and options during some of life’s most stressful transitions.
Her work focuses on elder law, Medicaid planning, nursing home and long-term care issues, estate planning, powers of attorney, trusts, probate avoidance, and asset protection. Rachel and her team have helped preserve more than $17 million for families navigating nursing home and in-home care transitions.
Before founding Fortified Elder Law, Rachel’s early legal work included public service roles with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and the Christian County Prosecutor’s Office. Those experiences showed her how overwhelming the legal system can feel for families in crisis, and why clear answers, practical guidance, and education matter.
Education is central to Rachel’s approach. Her mother spent over 40 years as an elementary educator with Springfield Public Schools, and Rachel brings that same belief in patience, clarity, and understanding into her work with clients. At Fortified, families are not simply handed documents. They are taught what the plan means, why it matters, and what steps need to happen next.
Rachel serves on the Board of the Missouri Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, is President of the Board for Hospice Foundation for Outreach, and is a 2026-2027 Leadership Springfield Signature Class 52 participant. She has also been recognized as one of SBJ’s Most Influential Women, a Biz 417 10 for the Next 10 honoree, a 40 Under 40 honoree, and a 2024-2026 Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers Rising Star.
Outside the office, Rachel is married to Brad. They are slowly checking National Parks off their bucket list, and she is happiest with a good book in hand and a cat in her lap—especially Nix.
Education
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Juris Doctor, 2015
Missouri State University
Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, 2010
Logan-Rogersville High School
High School Diploma, Academic Hall of Fame, 2006
Bar Admission
Missouri, 2015
Awards and Recognition
Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2026
SBJ’s Most Influential Women, 2025
Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2025
Community’s Choice Award Winner for Best Law Firm, 2024
40 Under 40, 2024
Biz 417 10 for the Next 10, 2024
Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2024
Professional and Community Involvement
Board Member, Missouri Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
President of the Board, Hospice Foundation for Outreach
Co-Lead, Springfield Area Senior Services
Leadership Springfield participant
Missouri Bar Association
Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association
Greene County Estate Planning Council
Southern Missouri Women Lawyers Association
National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
Have you been told that your spouse needs to go into a nursing home? Have you been told that you will need to file for a division of assets? Did someone say that you will have to get a divorce to qualify for Medicaid benefits? Have you been told that you will need a spend down to qualify for Medicaid? Have you been denied for Vendor MO HealthNet or recieved a transfer penalty and don’t know why? Contact Fortified Elder Law today.