About Rachel
Rachel Fortenberry earned a B.A. from Missouri State University in 2006. She went on to complete her J.D. at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, finishing her law degree in 2015. Those academic steps set the path for a career that spans public service and private practice in Missouri.
Her first legal role came in 2015 when she joined the Christian County Prosecuting Attorney's Office as an assistant prosecuting attorney. She moved into private practice in 2018, taking a position at Aaron Sachs & Associates, P.C., where she expanded her experience in client representation. In 2020 she joined 417 Business & Elder Law, returning to matters that blended business and elder-law concerns. In 2022 she founded Fortified Elder Law and continues to lead that practice.
The early years in the prosecutor’s office gave her courtroom exposure and a grounding in trial practice. Later roles placed her in firms that handled estate and elder-law matters alongside business and planning issues. Those shifts reflect a career that moved from public prosecution into the civil and planning side of law. She has handled matters typical to those settings, advising clients and representing them in a range of proceedings.
Fortenberry is active in several professional organizations. She is a member of the Greene County Estate Planning Council and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. She also belongs to the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association and Southern Missouri Women’s Lawyers. These memberships have been part of her professional network since the mid-2010s and continue to inform her day-to-day practice.
Colleagues describe her as methodical in case preparation and direct in client communication. She balances the procedural demands of litigation experience with the detailed planning elder-law work requires. Her work often involves coordinating with financial advisers, health-care professionals, and family members to align legal documents with client goals.
Based in Missouri, she directs Fortified Elder Law where she manages client intake, drafting, and representation for adults facing planning or capacity issues. She maintains a private practice through Fortified Elder Law, handling elder law, estate planning, and related matters.
