About the Special Needs Alliance
The Special Needs Alliance (SNA) is a national organization comprised of attorneys committed to the practice of disability and public benefits law. Individuals with disabilities, their families and their advisors rely on the SNA to connect them with nearby attorneys who focus their practices in the disability law arena.
The SNA is an invitation-only organization. SNA membership is based on a combination of relevant legal experience in the disability and elder law fields, direct family experience with disability, active participation with national, state and local disability advocacy organizations, and professional reputation. As a result, an SNA member will have an average of 18 years of relevant legal experience, with no member having practiced law for less than 5 years. Many have been certified as Elder Law Attorneys (CELAs) by the National Elder Law Foundation, the certifying entity for the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA).
Mission and History
The mission of the Special Needs Alliance is to maintain a professional organization of attorneys skilled in the complex areas of public entitlements, estate, trust and tax planning, and legal issues involving individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities.
The SNA was formed in 2002 by a core group of prominent disability and elder law attorneys who recognized the unique planning needs of younger individuals with disabilities and their families. While the SNA now has members in 44 states, the organization continues to limit membership to those who meet its professional standards in the area of disability law and advocacy.
Continued membership in the SNA requires active committee participation, regular attendance at SNA educational programming, and payment of professional dues. All dues are used to promote the overall mission of the SNA.
What is the Special Needs Alliance?
The Special Needs Alliance is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2002. The organization is made up of law firms that provide legal help and financial planning to families with loved ones that have special needs. The lawyers on the Special Needs Alliance team are known for their expertise in the laws that cover disability, special needs, and elder law.
What Are Their Services?
The Special Needs Alliance offers a wide range of legal and financial services to families with loved ones with special needs. The services provided by the alliance lawyers include:
- Estate Planning: The lawyers on the team can help families create a trust or will that sets up a financial system that supports loved ones with special needs.
- Guardianship: The lawyers can help create guardianship plans that ensure that disabled loved ones are taken care of.
- Benefits Counseling: The lawyers can help families understand the benefits that their loved ones with special needs are entitled to so that they can make the most out of them.
- Settlement Consultation: The lawyers on the special needs alliance can help individuals who have received a settlement and need to set up a system of payment that works for their loved ones with special needs.
- Special Needs Trusts: The lawyers can help families set up special needs trusts that protect the financial future of their loved ones with special needs.
Why Choose the Special Needs Alliance?
Families that have loved ones with special needs need to work with a legal team with expertise in disability and elder law. The lawyers on the Special Needs Alliance team have the necessary knowledge and experience to help families create a financial system that supports the long-term needs of their loved ones with special needs.