Clancy & Associates, Ltd.

What Clancy & Associates, Ltd. does

Clancy & Associates, Ltd. is a privately held, Illinois-based law firm founded in 2001 by Katie M. Clancy that specializes exclusively in special needs planning law. The firm serves families of individuals with disabilities across the greater Chicago metropolitan area, with its founding attorney also licensed in Wyoming. Its practice covers Special Needs Trusts, Transition Planning (the age-18 legal adulthood milestone), Government Benefits Assessment (SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, Medicare), Life Care Planning, Special Needs Guardianship, Divorce Consulting for special-needs families, and traditional Estate Planning. The firm is differentiated by the fact that every attorney and most staff have a personal connection to individuals with disabilities (as parents or siblings), giving the practice a depth of empathy and domain credibility that general practitioners cannot easily replicate.

The firm operates a professional services billing model — hourly or flat-fee engagements initiated through a complimentary phone consultation and a structured intake process (Consultation → Drafting → Client Review → Working Meeting → Execution & Funding). It runs on standard legal practice management and document drafting software with no proprietary technology, AI tooling, or API products. Its go-to-market is sales-led but heavily content- and community-driven: a long-running blog, categorized resource library, monthly MailChimp newsletter, active Facebook and LinkedIn presence, frequent speaking engagements at disability organizations (Easter Seals, Turning Pointe Autism Foundation, Aspire Chicago), and a strong referral network through existing clients, professional advisors, and partner non-profits.

Revenue mechanics are typical of a high-trust boutique practice: high-margin professional services fees from a long tail of family engagements, with 10% of work provided pro bono. The firm has 7 team members (2 partners/attorneys, 1 associate attorney, 2 paralegals, 1 benefits specialist, 1 legal assistant), no external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Distribution is direct and regional — Illinois-based with services delivered in person or virtually — with no products, channels, or recurring revenue beyond the core legal engagements and ongoing annual review relationships.

Name

Clancy & Associates, Ltd.

Legal name

Clancy & Associates, Ltd.

Website

https://clancyassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Clancy & Associates, Ltd. is a privately held Illinois law firm founded in 2001 that provides full-service special needs planning — including special needs trusts, guardianship, transition planning, government benefits assessment, life care planning, divorce consulting, and estate planning — to families of individuals with disabilities in the greater Chicago metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services - Special Needs Planning

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Needs & Supplemental Needs Trust Services (FSAAANAJ), Guardianship, Conservatorship & Special Needs Trust Services (FSAEAKAG)

Keywords

• Special needs planning
• Special needs trusts
• Estate planning
• Guardianship services
• Government benefits

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisle, Illinois

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Special Needs Planning: The firm generates revenue through legal services billing for special needs planning, including special needs trusts, guardianship, estate planning, government benefits assessments, life care planning, and transition planning. Services are provided on a professional services basis, typically with initial consultation followed by engagement for document preparation and legal representation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Clancy & Associates, Ltd. is a full-service special needs planning law firm that provides legal services to families of individuals with disabilities. The firm integrates seven specialized practice areas: Special Needs Trusts, Transition Planning, Government Benefits Assessment (SSI/SSDI/Medicaid), Life Care Planning, Divorce Consulting, Special Needs Guardianship, and Estate Planning, with all attorneys personally connected to the disability community as parents or siblings.

Product overview

Clancy & Associates, Ltd. is a full-service special needs planning law firm offering a unified suite of legal services for families of individuals with disabilities. The firm's core offering is Special Needs Planning, which integrates seven specialized practice areas: Special Needs Trusts, Transition Planning, Government Benefits Assessment, Life Care Planning, Divorce Consulting, Special Needs Guardianship, and Estate Planning. The practice is anchored by Special Needs Trusts as a foundational planning tool, supported by Transition Planning services that address the critical age-18 milestone, and complemented by Government Benefits Assessment, Life Care Planning, Divorce Consulting, Guardianship, and Estate Planning services. Each attorney is a parent of a child with special needs, providing personal insight alongside legal expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Special Needs Planning Comprehensive legal planning services for individuals with disabilities, encompassing financial, personal, and living support assessment and planning. Designed for families of children or adults with intellectual, developmental, or other disabilities.
• Special Needs Trusts

Quantifiable outcome

• 10% of work provided pro bono to clients in need

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Academy of Special Needs PlannerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional membership organization for special needs planning professionals. Katie Clancy is a member, and Alexandra Baig is also a member. The organization provides resources, education, and networking for practitioners specializing in special needs planning law.
• Informed Parent SeriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization founded by Katie Clancy to provide specialized information and education to parents of children with disabilities. The organization sponsors seminars covering psychological testing, educational advocacy, legal and financial planning, autism, and other disability-related topics.
• Easter SealsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational disability organization. Katie Clancy has presented for Easter Seals DuPage and Fox Valley, educating families on special needs trusts and transition planning. Firm is recommended by Easter Seals to families.
• Aspire ChicagominorGTM or Marketing PartnerNon-profit serving individuals with developmental disability. Katie Clancy serves as an Aspire Ambassador. She has presented for Aspire Chicago and the firm is recommended to families.
• Turning Pointe Autism FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNon-profit serving individuals with autism. Katie Clancy has presented for the organization and Turning Pointe often refers families directly to the firm's office. The firm logo appears on Turning Pointe's website as a trusted partner.
• Loyola University Chicago School of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJennifer A. Sabourin serves as adjunct faculty at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, teaching Professional Identity Formation course for first-year law students. Katie Clancy has presented for Loyola's Mustard Seed Project.
• College of DuPage FoundationminorOthersKatie Clancy serves as a Board Member of the College of DuPage Foundation.
• CASA of Cook CountyminorOthersCourt Appointed Special Advocate organization. Jennifer A. Sabourin volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate since 2020.
• National Association for Down SyndromeminorOthersParent volunteer for the National Association for Down Syndrome since 2019.
• L'Arche ChicagominorOthersAlexandra Baig previously served as Executive Director of L'Arche Chicago (7 years) and earlier as personal support worker and board member. L'Arche is an international network of communities where people with and without intellectual disabilities share life.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Easterseals: National disability services nonprofit with which Clancy & Associates already has a referral relationship (Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley). Ecosystem partner and lead source rather than a legal competitor.
• Academy of Special Needs Planners: Professional membership organization for attorneys, financial planners, and other advisors in the special needs planning field. Not a direct competitor but serves as the firm's primary industry body and referral/network infrastructure.
• The Arc of the United States: National advocacy and service organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Overlaps as a referral source and ecosystem participant rather than a direct legal competitor; many state and local Arc chapters refer families to planners.

Broad incumbents

• Special Needs Alliance: National, invitation-only network of attorneys dedicated to special needs law, providing a member directory that families use to find planners nationwide. Represents a broader, multi-firm institutional presence in the same niche.
• MassMutual SpecialCare: Financial services program from MassMutual focused on special needs planning, including SSI/Medicaid-aware financial products and referrals to attorneys. An adjacent but broader-incumbent player competing for the same household planning wallet.

Emerging players

• ABLE National Resource Center: National resource hub for ABLE accounts, which are tax-advantaged savings vehicles for individuals with disabilities. An emerging ecosystem participant that intersects with the firm's special-needs trust and benefits preservation work.

Direct peers

• Margaret O. Kirkpatrick, Attorney at Law: St. Louis-based special needs planning attorney focused on special needs trusts, government benefits, and transition planning. Comparable solo-to-small specialty practice serving families of individuals with disabilities.
• Woodsmall Law Group: California-based boutique law firm specializing in special needs planning, special needs trusts, and estate planning for families of individuals with disabilities. Closely comparable niche focus, family-centered service model, and content-driven marketing approach.
• Bernard A. Krooks, Esq. New York-area elder and special needs law attorney recognized in the special needs planning field. Comparable specialization in special needs trusts, guardianship, and benefits planning for families with disabled dependents.
• Karen E. Sklar & Associates: Illinois-based law firm focused on special needs planning, estate planning, and elder law. Comparable geography and practice area, providing direct local competition within the Chicago-area market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ClancyAssociates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clancy-associates-ltd-attorneys

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clancy & Associates, Ltd.