By Abby Matienzo Reitz
An Invitation from NAELA President Jennifer VanderVeen
I invite every NAELA member to volunteer and become part of this incredible community of elder and special needs law attorneys. NAELA national has opportunities, and if your state has a NAELA Chapter, you can get your start volunteering at the local level.
Volunteering isn't limited to joining a committee. There are opportunities for members who want to write or present online webinars or at a live NAELA event.
When you volunteer, you have the opportunity to meet other members in your state and around the country. The connections you make could last a lifetime.
Visit www.NAELA.org/Volunteer and let us know what you're interested in.
NAELA President Jennifer L. VanderVeen, CELA, CAP, Fellow
Lori Weems Evers, Esq.
NAELA Journal Editorial Board
AFELA
Lori, shortly after joining Chesser & Barr, PA in Florida’s panhandle in 2018, recalled some advice she received early on in her legal career from her mentor that stuck with her and led to her eventual involvement as a NAELA volunteer: in order to “be somebody in the law,” you have to give back to the organized profession of being a lawyer. From that moment on, she was determined to go back and do just that.
As she went on to pursue her LLM in Elder Law at Stetson University College of Law, she also remembers Professors Rebecca Morgan, CAP, Fellow, and Roberta Flowers telling her to get involved with NAELA as soon as possible because it was “rich in leadership,” and there were so many mentors with willingness to help.
Soon she found herself on the Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys (AFELA/NAELA Florida Chapter) Medicaid Task Force and became involved in the chapter’s special needs trusts and elder abuse committees and subcommittees. “It was unbelievable how helpful it was when I joined these groups. NAELA publications quickly became my greatest go-to elder law resource,” Lori said. “You can’t be a part of the association and practice effectively without them.”
This reliance on NAELA publications led to her joining the NAELA Journal Editorial Board, where she is proud to play a role in the planning and preparation of NAELA’s scholarly journal.
“I feel like I’m contributing to the profession, but I’m receiving much more. I wanted to become part of the committees that provide so much richness to the profession. My experience as a NAELA volunteer has only been a joy. I have a tendency to over-volunteer, and the NAELA staff working with the NAELA Journal Editorial Board have been helpful in not letting me do that. These are huge opportunities, and I’m looking forward to becoming more and more involved. Also, I love that with the editorial board’s conference calls, I don’t have to go out-of-pocket to participate. My greatest advice to any NAELA member would be to get involved with your chapter’s task forces and national NAELA.”
Bryan J. Adler, CELA
Advocacy/Litigation Section Steering Committee
Practice Development/Practice Management Section
When Bryan first joined NAELA, he was eager to get involved. “I wanted to be engaged, so I jumped into the first group I saw open — the Advocacy/Litigation Section Steering Committee.”
Bryan’s father was a litigator, but he found that over time, this volunteer committee didn’t quite fit what he was practicing and working on most days. He wanted to develop marketing strategies and help other members run their practices better, and joined the Practice Development/Practice Management Section as a result.
“PD/PM is a wildly underutilized group of people. We’re trying to get the word out that with innovations in marketing and practice management, you’ll be able to grow your practice regardless of these changes.”
“NAELA gave me a lot and still does. For areas of my practice that I need help with, I reach out to my fellow NAELA members for advice. I don’t look at other members as my competition. NAELA fosters a collegial experience. I’ve learned through NAELA about the power of referrals. Other members aren’t your competition — they’re your friends. And it’s the biggest compliment to have the respect of your peers when they call for advice. I’ve asked questions and been helped by other NAELA members so much that me answering questions is my way to show gratitude.”
“As a NAELA volunteer, I have the opportunity to dive deeper into NAELA and specific elder law issues. I also have the opportunity to coordinate with big players. I remember going to state and national events and ‘fangirling’ as I was sitting around with the ‘godfathers of elder law.’”
“Volunteering with NAELA makes you a better attorney. I look at what we do not as not simply a law firm, but as a client-services firm that practices law. Every tip I’ve learned from NAELA helps me advocate better and do better for my clients.”
Paul D. Shapiro, CELA
State Advocacy Committee
Paul said his volunteer experience happened “by accident.” He initially only thought of NAELA as a professional association and CLE provider. However, after speaking to NAELA Senior Public Policy Manager David Goldfarb, Esq., CAE, and talking about how Maine did not have a NAELA state chapter, David invited him to join the NAELA State Advocacy Committee. “Joining this committee has been great. I’ve been able to share the ‘cutting-edge’ of 1115 waivers and other issues coming up with my colleagues here in Maine. I’ve also been able to share information about Maine's experience revamping the guardianship and conservatorship statute with other communities on a national level. I’m also learning what’s going on elsewhere and sharing ideas and issues we’ve been facing.”
Paul said the time commitment has been manageable with his schedule. “It’s usually one phone call a month for an hour, sometimes shorter or longer, with some emails in between. Look for the right committee that fits your schedule so that you can find a way to be involved.”
Volunteering with the State Advocacy Committee helped Paul realize that the challenges faced in his state are also faced elsewhere. “I get to hear from practitioners in individual states. This experience has increased my awareness in the national scope of what elder law attorneys do, recognizing names of people in different areas, and understanding the bird’s eye view of community. Each state has its own way of doing things, but they’re all connected, and committee involvement showed me that.”