This issue of The Voice® was prepared by SNA member Laurie Hanson, with Northwoods Law Group, P.A., in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The firm focuses on issues specific to aging and clients living with a disability and serves clients based in the twin cities and throughout the state, including populations in Grand Marais and the Walker/Brainerd lakes area.
This issue of The Voice® is by SNA member Thomas Smith of Thomas Smith Law Firm in Hot Springs, AR. Thomas provides special needs planning and estate planning for families throughout the state of Arkansas.
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Catherine Wilson of McPherson, Rocamora, Nicholson, Wilson & Hinkle, PLLC, which is located in Durham, North Carolina and serves the areas of Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill and beyond. Catherine focuses on estate planning, special needs planning, guardianships, taxation law, and trust and estate litigation.
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Jacob Menashe of Hickman Menashe, P.S. in Lynnwood and Bellevue, Washington. Serving clients in the greater Snohomish and King County areas and throughout Washington, the firm works with their clients on legal concerns related to elder law and estate planning. Jacob was assisted by a former associate of his firm, Sage Graves Slugić, now practicing at Graunke Ayoub Law in Seattle, Washington.
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Johanna Pickel, of Johanna A. Pickel LLC located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her firm focuses on compassionate and thoughtful planning for every stage of life – wills, trusts, special needs trusts, Medicaid and VA compliant trusts, probate and trust administration.
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Hyman Darling, who is a member of the law firm Bacon Wilson, PC, located in Springfield, Massachusetts. Serving the Springfield area for more than 125 years, the firm provides legal services in a number of areas including special needs, estate planning and long-term care planning.
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Richard Kroll with Kroll Law Firm, LLP in Rochester, NY. His firm focuses on trusts and estates, elder law, special needs planning and guardianships for greater Rochester, and seven county surrounding areas.
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA Honorary Member David M. English, who is a Professor of Law at the University of Missouri School of Law. He received his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University in Chicago, and his areas of expertise include elder law, estate planning, guardianship, probate, trust law and uniform acts.
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Matthew T. Smith, Esq., who is a member of the law firm McClelland & Associates, PLLC, located in Lexington, KY. Serving the state of Kentucky, the firm focuses on elder law, estate planning and planning for individuals with special needs.
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Heather Conder, and her colleague Evan Barrett, who both work in the law firm of SNA member Charlene Quade, Esq. of C.K. Quade Law, PLLC. The firm was created with the desire to advocate for families and loved ones caring for children and adults with special needs. Located in Boise, Idaho, the practice serves clients in Idaho.
This issue of The Voice® was written by Special Needs Alliance member Darcy Chamberlin, Esq. of Chamberlin Riechert Law Group in Oak Brook, Illinois. The firm’s primary areas of practice are Elder Law, Special Needs Planning, Guardianship and Estate Planning.
The Voice® is prepared and distributed by the Special Needs Alliance (SNA). This installment was written by a consortium of members of the SNA’s Public Policy Committee. The Public Policy Committee through our public policy consultant, Brian Lindberg, work with members of Congress and congressional staff to educate and advocate on issues of importance to individuals with disabilities and their families. The Public Policy Committee will author periodic issues of the The Voice® to introduce our readers to the Public Policy efforts the SNA is directly involved in.
This issue of the Voice® is an update by Lisa Nachmias Davis, CELA, of her original article that appeared in 2014. Ms. Davis is a partner is the New Haven, Connecticut law firm of Davis O’Sullivan & Priest, LLC. She helps clients with estate planning, setting up or administering special needs trusts, qualifying for public benefits and probate and estate settlement; she also represents charities and other nonprofit organizations.
This issue of the Voice® was written by Special Needs Alliance member Jane Skelton, Esq., who established the Maine Elder Law Firm in 2001. The firm is based in Bangor and serves clients in all parts of Maine. The firm’s primary areas of practice are Elder Law, Special Needs Planning, and Estate Planning.
When considering moving to another jurisdiction, a guardian will need to know what will be required by both the original state and the new state. Read more in this issue of The Voice.
This issue of the Voice was written by Special Needs Alliance member Edward M. Biggin, Esq. an attorney with the law firm Landsman Law Group located in Rockville, Maryland. Ed practices in the areas of Special Needs Planning, Elder Law, Medicaid Planning, Estate Planning, Guardianship, Probate Administration, and Trust Administration. Ed is a member of the Bar in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
The following Article for the Voice is an update of one previously published, and reflects the ever-changing rules and regulations with respect to service animals and emotional support animals, particularly: the Americans With Disabilities Act, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation regulations, the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development rules, and the Fair Housing Act.
This article was co-authored by SNA member Richard Kroll, and by Nicholas S. Proukou, of the Kroll Law Firm LLP. Both focus their practices in Trusts, Estates, and Special Needs Planning. You will find them in Rochester, NY and may visit them at www.kroll-lawoffice.com
The Voice® is the e-mail newsletter of the Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Sandra L. Smith, CELA, a partner with the firm of Oast & Taylor in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She is certified as an elder law attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation and is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
The Voice® is the e-mail newsletter of the Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Edward Wilcenski, Esq., a founding partner of the law firm of Wilcenski & Pleat PLLC in Clifton Park, New York. He practices in the areas of Special Needs Planning, Elder Law, and Trust and Estate Planning and Administration. Ed is a past President of the Special Needs Alliance and writes and lectures frequently on issues affecting individuals with disabilities and their families.
This edition of The Voice® is a reprint of an article originally published back in April of 2017. As we head into tax season with so many different things on our minds, we thought it a good idea to reprint this article to remind special needs trust trustees of their obligations at tax time.
The primary focus of this article is to provide an introduction to the tax form that typically must be filed for special needs trusts that are generating income.
Tara Anne Pleat, Esq., CELA, is a founding partner of the law firm of Wilcenski & Pleat PLLC, in Clifton Park, New York. She practices in the areas of Special Needs Planning, Elder Law, and Trust and Estate Planning and Administration. Tara writes and lectures frequently on issues affecting individuals with disabilities and their families. She is currently a Member of the Board of Directors of the Special Needs Alliance.