By Professor Roberta Flowers and Professor Rebecca Morgan, CAP
Informative presentations, preconference workshops, and networking opportunities in New Orleans.
With 26 informative presentations covering three distinct learning tracks, a full-day Social Security pre-workshop, a complimentary tax session for all registrants, a half-day faculty development workshop, and a welcome reception overlooking the Mississippi River, NAELA’s 2018 Annual Conference proved to be much more than “big and easy.”
The 2018 Annual Conference was held in the historic city of New Orleans, which provided a backdrop to not only learn but have some fun as well. This year’s conference presentations were concentrated on three major learning tracks — Public Benefits Planning, Advocating for your Clients (Now and in the Future), and Technology in the Practice of Law. Here are a few highlights:
Public Benefits Planning: Sessions were offered from basic Medicaid planning tools to the more complicated issues when fiduciaries are involved. This track also included intensive sessions to learn state specific tools such as: 1) gift and return; 2) promissory notes; 3) spousal refusal; 4) annuities; and 5) care contracts.
Advocating for Your Clients: This track provided new insights on advocating in a variety of different venues and on a variety of different issues. Sessions included nursing home advocacy, advocacy for public school children with special needs, advocating for changes in the law through legislative changes, and landmark case work.
Technology in the Practice of Law: This track provided sessions to make your practice more cyber-safe and efficient with sessions on cyber security, client portals, staff technology policies, social media practices and more.
An optional Social Security Workshop was offered on Wednesday. Using real-life client scenarios, the participants explored four core areas of Social Security:
- Maximizing Social Security Income
- Medicare
- Family Benefits
- Representing an Applicant for Disability Based Benefits
Conference attendees were also welcome to attend a complimentary 90-minute presentation that reviewed The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), what some call the most sweeping tax law change in 30 years. Additionally, attendees interested in honing their presentation skills attended a half-day faculty development workshop on adult learning and engaging an audience.
The 2018 Annual Conference kicked off with keynote speaker Scott Grossberg, speaking on re-energizing a law practice using technology. With the rapidly changing world of technology, being connected to the virtual world in the practice of law is a must. Scott, a proven litigator and best-selling author of The Million Dollar iPad and The iPad Lawyer, described the latest app and program offerings together with workflow techniques that can help attorneys save time and be more productive. Scott also explained how being connected with clients (and even opposing counsel) can be used for promotion, branding, and marketing.
The conference provided practitioners opportunities to stay current on a variety of issues impacting elder law and special needs planning with 25 more educational sessions and seemingly endless networking opportunities. Some additional highlights of the Conference, included:
• A panel of NAELA Past Presidents presenting some of the most influential and compelling cases of the past year. Session materials provided to participants included summaries of more than 180 cases, relevant to the practice of elder law and special needs planning.
• Based on the recent release of the POMS changes effective April 30, 2018, a session was added to the program, “Here Comes the POMS (The Latest Changes).” NAELA Past Presidents Bill Browning, CELA, CAP, and Howie Krooks, CELA, CAP, presented “Medicaid Planning for the Well Spouse,” teaching attendees how to navigate and balance between the Medicaid eligibility requirements of an institutionalized spouse and the asset preservation needs of the community spouse.
• NAELA’s Public Policy Steering Committee hosted a session, “Advocacy, Public Policy, and Your Practice,” with their forecast for the likelihood of changes and what is being discussed during this Congressional session. The panel, including former U.S. Congressman David Jolly, provided strategies for advocacy, at both the state and national level.
• And NAELA Past Presidents Stu Zimring, Esq., CAP, and Gregory French, CELA, CAP, sang and danced their way through the Second Edition of the NAELA Aspirational Standards.
This year’s conference was full of excellent speakers with a breadth of topics appealing to a wide audience. In addition to great topics and speakers, the networking was fantastic. It appeared that every attendee met a NAELA member they hadn’t known before. Even the business meeting was inspired with the President’s speech including an original rap song by President Hy Darling and the heartfelt comments by incoming President Michael Amoruso, which included a special thank you to his amazing Seeing Eye Dog Demitri.
We are grateful for the dedication and commitment of our Planning Committee, and for all of our volunteer speakers. We want to thank all of them for working together to make this a great conference. If you missed the conference, materials can be purchased through the NAELA online store later this year.
We are certain that the tradition of great conferences will continue in 2019 in the city of Ft. Worth, Texas on May 9–11, 2019. Mark your calendars now. We look forward to seeing you in the City of Cowboys and Culture next year!
About the Authors
Professor Roberta Flowers and Professor Rebecca Morgan, CAP, were the 2018 Annual Conference Planning Committee Co-Chairs.
2018 Awards
President’s Award
CHD Meadows Homes and Pathlight
Springfield, Massachusetts
John J. Regan Writing Award
Marielle F. Hazen, CELA, and Shirley Berger Whitenack, Esq., CAP
For their article, “The Fiduciary Pitfalls of Managing Special Needs Trusts That Own Real Estate,” published in the Spring 2017 NAELA Journal.
Powley Award
Debra Rahmin Silberstein, Esq.
Theresa Award
Alfred J. Chiplin Jr., JD, MDiv, CPE (awarded posthumously)
Outstanding Chapter Member Award
Northern California
Kathleen (Kass) Day-Seiter, Esq.
Southern California
Yvonne Amrine, Esq.
Illinois
Helen Mesoloras, Esq.
Florida
Nancy Wright, Esq.
Oklahoma
Stephanie Alleman, Esq.
Massachusetts
Patricia Keane Martin, Esq.
Michigan
Angela Hentkowski, CELA
Missouri
Paul M. Gantner, Esq.
New Hampshire
Stephen G. Baker, Esq.
New York
Neil Rimsky, CELA, CAP
North Carolina
William G. Alexander, Esq.
Pennsylvania
Lawrence A. Frolik, Esq., CAP
Texas
Wesley E. Wright, CELA
Virginia
Ross C. Hart, Esq.
Wisconsin
Peter E. Grosskopf, Esq.