By Martha C. Brown, CELA When someone is living with severe mental illness, the process of obtaining guardianship can be particularly complex. Symptoms may be intermittent, leading individuals to resist legally imposed assistance and making it difficult for a court to establish whether or not they are competent to care for themselves. The goal, of [...]
The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Hyman Darling, Esq., a partner in the Springfield, Massachusetts, firm of Bacon Wilson, P.C. Mr. Darling concentrates his practice in estate planning, elder law, probate, special needs and guardianships/conservatorships. Before joining Bacon Wilson, he was a trust officer for several years. A frequent speaker for civic and charitable organizations, he serves on the American Cancer Society National Professional Advisory Committee and the boards of several western Massachusetts nonprofit organizations for persons with disabilities. He serves on the board of directors and has served as Secretary of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA).
By Shirley B. Whitenack, Esq. Regardless of the severity of an individual's cognitive impairment, that individual is presumed to be a competent adult at the age of 18. If the person will be unable to make important choices, the naming of one or more guardians should be considered. A guardian is a court appointee who [...]
Scott C. Suzuki, Esq. Scott C. Suzuki is the principal of Scott C. Suzuki, Attorney at Law, LLLC, a Honolulu-based firm focused on estate planning, special needs planning, long-term care and Medicaid planning, catastrophic injury and mass tort planning, guardianships, conservatorships, and probates. His practice serves seniors, individuals with disabilities, and their families, [...]
Rebecca C. Morgan, Esq. Rebecca is a full-time law professor at Stetson University’s College of Law where she teaches Elder Law and Trusts and Estates. She is the co-author of Third-Party and Self-Created Trusts (ABA), Tax, Estate and Financial Planning for the Elderly and its companion forms book (Lexis), Fundamentals of Special Needs [...]
Robert W. Fechtman, CELA Robert Fechtman is the founder of Fechtman Law Office, a full-service elder law and special needs planning firm in Indianapolis, Indiana. His practice focuses on the needs of older adults and individuals with disabilities, including special needs trusts, estate planning, health law, Medicaid planning, guardianships, and probate. A lifelong [...]
Matthew T. Smith, Esq. Matthew T. Smith, Esq. of Elder Law Lawyers McClelland & Associates, PLLC, has a passion for special needs law deeply rooted in his childhood experiences. His mother was a physical therapist, and Matthew often accompanied her on home health visits. He was inspired by one of his mother’s regular [...]
Ethan J. Ordog, Esq. Ethan Ordog is a partner at the Begley Law Group and concentrates his practice in estate and trust litigation, estate and trust administration, and guardianship. Ethan’s interest in special needs planning and guardianship springs from the idea that while life is complex for everyone, it is often even more [...]
Elena A. Lidrbauch, CELA Elena is an attorney and shareholder of Hickman Lowder Lidrbauch & Welch Co., L.P.A. serving northern Ohio. She operates primarily out of the Sheffield Village office and concentrates her practice in the areas of Medicaid planning, planning for families with special needs, estate planning, guardianship, estate administration, and trust [...]
Emily B. Kile, Esq. Emily is an attorney and a partner at Mushkatel, Gobbato & Kile, PLLC with offices in Sun City and Scottsdale, Arizona. She concentrates her practice in the areas of special needs planning, estate planning, guardianship and conservatorship, ALTCS (Medicaid) planning, probate and trust administration. Emily has been practicing law [...]