April Grunden joined Burt Blee in 2022 and serves of counsel for the firm.  April assists families in the areas of estate planning, estate settlement, business succession planning, and elder law including Medicaid eligibility for long term care. April represents thousands of families and hundreds of family owned businesses in northeast Indiana.

Prior to joining Burt Blee, April served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Nancy Eshcoff Boyer and Paul D. Mathias in the Allen County Superior Court, Allen County, Indiana, as well as Pro Bono Petitioner Counsel for Allen Superior Court mental health commitments.  April was also a research fellow in the Midwest Medical Research Foundation and a Legal Extern for the Honorable Nancy H. Vaidik in the Porter County Superior Court, Porter County, Indiana.

April founded Grunden Law Office in 2002 where she created a unique process for educating and assisting clients while providing options, and received the Reader’s Choice award for Best Elder Law Attorney in 2022.  April speaks regularly on various topics related to her areas of practice as a presenter for attorney continuing education conferences (ICLEF, NBI, ACBA), financial advisor client presentations (including NAIFA), and area non-profit groups.

Throughout her career, April has dedicated her time to numerous organizations including:  Junior Achievement Perspectives Program, Northeast Indiana Volunteer Program (Past Board Member), Mental Health America, Adult Protective Services (Allen County), Child Protective Services (FSSA), ISBA March for Hunger, Northeast Indiana/Allen County Guardianship Council, National Health Care Decisions Day (Past Indiana State Liaison), ISBA Ask A Lawyer Day and March for Hunger, Allen County Christmas Bureau, Toys for Tots, USA Hockey/MidAm District (Past Safe Sport Coordinator and Disciplinary Committee Member), Fort Wayne Youth Hockey (Past Board Member and Safe Sport Coordinator), Indiana High School State Hockey Association (Past Safe Sport Coordinator) Leo Softball League (Past Board Member), and several years coaching multiple youth sports.

Areas of Practice:

• Estate Planning

• Elder Law/Medicaid

• Business Succession Planning

• Probate/ Trust/ Estate Administration

• Trusts

• Wills and Powers of Attorney

• Estate Tax Planning

Professional Associations:

• Allen County Bar Association (Past Probate, Trust & Tax Section Chair)

• Indiana State Bar Association (Probate Trust and Real Property and Elder Law Sections)

• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA-Indiana Chapter)

• Lawyers With Purpose

• Council on Senior Services (Fort Wayne, Allen County)

• Benjamin Harrison Chapter of The American Inns of Court (Past Member)

• Past member of Wealth Counsel, National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys, and Fort Wayne Estate Planning Council