Incoming president plans to explore how artificial intelligence can serve clients and members while keeping advocacy and legal judgment at the heart of the Alliance’s work.

MOUNT SINAI, N.Y. — October 28, 2026 — The Special Needs Alliance (SNA), a national organization of attorneys dedicated to disability and public benefits law, has announced its leadership team and Board of Directors for the 2026–2027 term. Incoming President Bryn Poland, Esq., of Mayo & Poland, PLLC, Baytown, Texas, plans to focus in part on how artificial intelligence can benefit attorneys, people with disabilities, and their families.

Poland Looks Ahead to a Changing Legal Landscape

As she begins her term, Poland believes SNA is experiencing a period of significant change for the legal profession — and for special needs practice in particular — because of AI.

“AI has real value for our clients and their families, and I’m excited to explore how we can use these tools to facilitate better outcomes for our clients — and help our members find their real value in the world we’re headed into,” Poland said.

In her view, thoughtfully exploring and experimenting with AI in ways that help both clients and members will allow SNA to maintain its authority and reputation as the profession evolves. She hopes to make that exploration a focus of her year as president.

For Poland, however, greater efficiency cannot come at the expense of the expertise attorneys bring to their clients.

“Lawyers want to lean into these tools in a way that makes us efficient, but we still want to exercise our legal judgment,” she said.

At the center of that work is a mission Poland says will remain unchanged: advocacy.

“Our strength really comes from the advocacy work we do for our clients and our ability to translate difficult legal topics into something everybody can understand,” Poland said. “How we deliver that may change a little as technology changes, but the goal is going to be the same. We want to advocate for our clients, and that will continue to be a strength of SNA moving forward.”

Poland also counts SNA’s community among its greatest strengths. She describes its members as giving, friendly, and passionate about helping people with disabilities, and notes the unusually high level of participation in committee work and conferences.
“In most volunteer organizations, a few people pull the weight while everyone else stays in the back seat,” Poland said. “Here, it’s not just two or three of us. We’re all working together.”

SNA thanks Immediate Past President Robert F. Brogan, CELA, for his leadership during the 2025–2026 term.

2026–2027 Executive Officers

  • President: Bryn Poland, Esq. — Mayo & Poland, PLLC, Baytown, TX
  • President-Elect: Christopher W. Smith, Esq. — Chalgian & Tripp Law Offices, PLLC, Southfield, MI
  • Vice President: Larry Rocamora, Esq. — McPherson, Rocamora, Nicholson & Hinkle, PLLC, Durham, NC
  • Treasurer: Elizabeth N.R. Friman, Esq. — Fleming & Curti, PLC, Tucson, AZ
  • Secretary: Matthew T. Smith, Esq. — Elder Law Lawyers McClelland & Associates, PLLC, Lexington, KY
  • Immediate Past President: Robert F. Brogan, CELA — Brogan Law Group, P.C., Brick, NJ

SNA Welcomes Three New Board Members

SNA is pleased to welcome three new members to its Board of Directors for the 2026–2027 term: Margaret A. Graham, Esq., of Pregenzer, Baysinger, Wideman & Sale in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Kaitlyn Lewis Keating, Esq., of Caffry & Keating, PLLC, in Waterbury, Vermont; and Kathie Brown Roberts, CELA, of Kathie Brown Roberts, P.C., in Sandy, Utah. They join a national group of attorneys who bring extensive experience in disability and public benefits law and a shared commitment to serving people with disabilities and their families.

2026–2027 Board of Directors

  • Leonard Anderson, Esq. — Barlow Anderson LLC, Anchorage, AK
  • Emily A. Donaldson, CELA — Arcare, Inc., Overland Park, KS
  • Robert W. Fechtman, CELA — Fechtman Law Office, Indianapolis, IN
  • Margaret A. Graham, Esq. — Pregenzer, Baysinger, Wideman & Sale, Albuquerque, NM
  • Emma R. Hemness, CELA — Hemness Faller Elder Law, Brandon, FL
  • Kaitlyn Lewis Keating, Esq. — Caffry & Keating, PLLC, Waterbury, VT
  • Jacob H. Menashe, Esq. — Hickman Menashe, P.S., Lynnwood, WA
  • Nikki Mitchell, CELA — Mitchell, Brown & Associates, LLC, St. Louis, MO
  • Rebecca C. Morgan, Esq. — Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, FL
  • Ethan J. Ordog, Esq. — Begley Law Group, Moorestown, NJ
  • Kathie Brown Roberts, CELA — Kathie Brown Roberts, P.C., Sandy, UT
  • Benjamin A. Rubin, LL.M. — Rubin Law, Buffalo Grove, IL
  • Thomas Smith, Esq. — Thomas Smith Law Firm, Hot Springs, AR
  • Scott C. Suzuki, Esq. — Scott C. Suzuki, Attorney at Law, LLLC, Honolulu, HI

About the Special Needs Alliance

The Special Needs Alliance comprises more than 150 attorneys across 45 states, each invited to membership based on demonstrated excellence in disability and public benefits law. Members average more than 18 years of experience and include many Certified Elder Law Attorneys (CELA). Through collaboration, education, and advocacy, SNA works to improve the quality of legal services and enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families.

For more information, visit www.specialneedsalliance.org.

Media Contact:
Jihane Davidow, Executive Director
[email protected]