NAELA Foundation Announces 2017 Conference Scholarship Opportunity

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Foundation proudly announces the
availability of the Cohn Sisters’ Scholarships for Patient Advocacy for attendance at the
2017 NAELA Annual Conference in Boston, Massachusetts (April 27-29).

This annual scholarship is for Elder and Special Needs Law attorneys who are unable to afford the cost
of attending the NAELA Annual Conference and who will use the training to advocate on
behalf of people with disabilities of all ages. The scholarships cover tuition and
accommodation at the 2017 Annual Conference in Boston. The families of the Cohn sisters
will choose recipients after reviewing all applications.

The scholarship was established through the NAELA Foundation’s Memorial Fund in
memory of Vivian Cohn Smith and Lorrie Cohn, sisters of NAELA Fellow Helen Cohn
Needham. Vivian passed away in November 1997 after a 10-year fight against breast
cancer. She was a disability worker for the state of North Carolina and used what she had
learned as a patient to advocate on behalf of others. Lorrie died in November 2005. She was
a certified intensive care nurse, and later a triage nurse for Kaiser Permanente. She always
considered patient advocacy to be an essential part of her caregiving.

Application Process

Each applicant must send a statement to NAELA (no more than one page in length) that
explains the following:

 Applicant’s current job/position and involvement in Elder and Special Needs Law;
 Why the applicant needs the scholarship; and
 How the applicant would use the training received at the Annual Conference to
her/his advocacy on behalf of patients.

Please note, while not completely determinative, the family has a special interest in
supporting attorneys who:
 Are serving underserved populations;
 Will use the training to train other advocates; or
 Are new to the field and will expand the pool of elder law attorneys beyond the first
generation of lawyers who are now beginning to retire.

Please send applications to Suzy Buckshaw via email at [email protected];
fax 703-563-9504; or mail NAELA, 1577 Spring Hill Road, Suite 310, Vienna, VA 22182.

Deadline

All applications must be received by January 20, 2017.