Thiel, Anderson, Kukla & Gunderson, PLLP
Attorney Joseph P. Kukla of Thiel, Anderson, Kukla & Gunderson, PLLP, a boutique law firm located near Highways 494 and 100 in Edina.
Our practice is specifically focused on providing legal services to the special needs community. We do estate planning for parents/family members of individuals with disabilities, we represent clients in guardianship and conservatorship matters, and we advise/assist with the management of Social Security, Medical Assistance, housing and other issues. Our firm started providing these services when a former partner (Bob Gunderson) had a sister with developmental disabilities, and he became the premier attorney in the Twin Cities area for this type of practice. We have been carrying that purpose for over 40 years now and have thousands of clients with a wide range of disabilities including, of course, Autism Spectrum Disorder. I personally joined this firm because I have a younger brother with developmental disabilities that include an ASD diagnosis. I have now been doing this work for 15 years and have experience with a significant number of clients on the spectrum and the challenges faced both by them individually and their family in providing care. In addition to my personal and professional experience, I also spent several years as a certified coach for Special Olympics and as a licensed PCA.
The State of MN has a good website with a lot of information that has been organized to make it easier to follow. That would be MN Disability Hub (www. disabilityhubmn.org). Otherwise, I get most of my news on autism advocacy from the bigger organizations like Arc Minnesota and Fraser, and Volunteers of America provides some good info and assistance on their website (www.voa. org). If people are looking for resources to connect with professional services, the MAGiC organization is a good place. That is the Minnesota Association of Guardians and Conservators (www.minnesotaguardianship.org). Finally, there is a financial planner that we do some work with who has a daughter with more severe ASD, and he runs a business called Special Needs Planners (www.snplanners.com). There is a lot of good information on there about short and long term financial planning for parents who have children with autism.
We have our website: www.thielfirm.com. Our phone number is 952-920-8444.
I also regularly participate in seminars and workshops, providing informative lectures on guardianship and estate planning.