NAELA News Guidelines for Submission
NAELA News is published four times a year and has two complementary purposes: to communicate the activities, goals and mission of its publisher, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys; and simultaneously, to seek out and publish information and diverse views related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law.
The views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies of the publisher. Statements of fact are solely the responsibility of the author.
Guidelines for Article Submission
NAELA News welcomes for review short (750-1,500 words), substantive articles on Elder Law or Special Needs Law topics, or news about NAELA. Articles should deal with timely issues in Elder and Special Needs Law, provide how-to information, or be about a recent event of interest to the elder law and special needs planning community. Articles may be based on the personal experience of the author or may involve research into a topic. Articles that offer a personal opinion or a certain perspective on a topic may be submitted and will be clearly marked as such.
News about products/services of interest to elder law and special needs planning attorneys will be considered as long as they adhere to the Resources and Ask the Experts column guidelines. (See below.)
Submit a two- or three- paragraph summary, an outline, or your completed article to NAELA News.
Article Length: Should be between 750-1,500 words.
Topics: NAELA News’ focus is elder law and special needs planning. Elder law and special needs planning topics range over many areas and include: Preservation of assets, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, disability, health insurance, tax planning, conservatorships, guardianships, living trusts and wills, estate planning, probate and administration of estates, trusts, long-term care placement, housing and nursing home issues, elder abuse, fraud recovery, age discrimination, retirement, health law, mental health law, and client/attorney relationships.
NAELA News also publishes articles relating to business aspects of running a law practice.
Articles may be based on the personal experience of the author(s) or may involve research into a topic.
Illustrations: Authors are encouraged to suggest graphic illustrations to accompany the article. Charts, graphs, and checklists should be clean and complete. A professional artist will design these illustrations, but format and content should be clearly presented.
NAELA News Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Committee members review all submissions for appropriateness, and they provide direction to potential authors. The Committee reserves the right to reject any article. Author(s) will be notified by the NAELA News Editor-in-Chief if the outline/article submitted is acceptable or not, or if changes should be made for further consideration of the article for publication. Submission does not guarantee publication.
NAELA News reserves the right to reject any article submitted for publication whether solicited or not.
Articles will be edited for brevity and clarity and will be edited to fit the publication’s editorial style and length requirements. In addition, all first-person references and references to the author’s organization, products, or clients may be deleted at the editor’s sole discretion.
Articles that offer a personal opinion or a certain perspective on a topic may be submitted and will be clearly marked as such.
Author Credits: Authors should provide a brief biographical statement – including current position and contact information – for publication in the article.
Publication date of the article can be changed at NAELA News Editor-in-Chief’s discretion.
Author’s Agreement: Each author will be required to sign a standard author agreement that acknowledges the material submitted is authentic, and grants NAELA the proper permissions to publish such article. The agreement, however, does not change copyright, which is maintained by the author or authors.
Guidelines for Submissions to Resources and Ask the Experts Columns
The Resources column is for vendors that are currently participating with NAELA as an advertiser, event sponsor, exhibitor, or member benefit partner to announce products and services that NAELA members would find of interest in their practice of elder and special needs law. This could include news releases about new technology or services, upgrades or other important announcements. Resources submissions are limited to 175 words.
Ask the Experts is a column for vendors that are currently participating with NAELA as an advertiser, event sponsor, exhibitor, or member benefit partner to provide information NAELA members would find of interest in their practice of elder and special needs law in a question and answer format. Ask the Experts submissions are limited to 275 words.
All Resources and Ask the Experts submissions may be edited for space, clarity, appropriateness and style in accordance with generally accepted editing principles and NAELA News style. NAELA News reserves the right to reject material that it deems inappropriate or to avoid duplication with other submissions. NAELA News reserves the right to publish accepted submissions from vendors as space allows.
Articles must be submitted electronically to Susan Simolunas, Publications, NAELA, 1577 Spring Hill Road, Suite 310, Vienna, VA 22182. No more than one submission per year will be accepted from any vendor.
Letters to the Editor
NAELA News welcomes Letters to the Editor. The "Letters to the Editor" section of NAELA News is meant to facilitate free and civil debate among the readers of the magazine. If you have comments you would like to make about topics in these pages, please send your Letter to the Editor to Susan Simolunas at NAELA Publications. We will strive to publish as many letters as possible in the pages of NAELA News itself. Should we receive more letters than there is space to publish within the pages of the magazine, a representative sample of comments received will appear in print and a fuller presentation will be published online, at such time as the completion of the expansion of the NAELA News section of the website. (Space available for letters in the printed version of NAELA News is limited not only by the number of letters received but also by the number of pages we print.)
There may be occasions when we are unable to publish a letter to the editor or must insist that the author edit its content, but this is never a matter that we take lightly. We encourage vigorous debate and the presentation of a diversity of points of view but cannot permit the publication of materials that create exposure to potential legal liability for the author, NAELA and/or NAELA News. Items that may trigger increased scrutiny include (but are not limited to) discussion of rates, calling for boycotts, making libelous statements, inflammatory statements targeted at individual members or groups and other matters prohibited under antitrust, libel, or other governing laws. In these cases, there may be a need to restructure a letter.
Statements of fact and opinion contained in letters to the editor (in print or online) and within the editorial content of the magazine are and will remain solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily express the opinion or endorsement of NAELA or anyone connected with NAELA.
Submit letters to the editor to Susan Simolunas, Publications, NAELA, 1577 Spring Hill Road, Suite 310, Vienna, VA 22182. Guidelines for Calendar Items NAELA News includes NAELA Chapter and Section events in its Calendar Section.
Submit your Calendar item to Susan Simolunas, NAELA Publications. Include the following information: date of event, name of the sponsoring group, where the event will be held, and who to contact for more information.