Day One
Registration begins at 8:15; Welcoming Announcements will be made at 8:50.
Moderator: Wendy S. Cappelletto, Office of the Public Guardian of Cook County, Chicago
9:00 – 10:00 Illinois Elder Law Case Law and Legislative Update 2019
Linda M. Strohschein, Strohschein Law Group, LLC, St. Charles & Wheaton
10:00 - 10:20 Break — Time to Visit Sponsors and Network with Your Peers
10:20 – 11:20 Planning with Retirement Benefits
Understand the basics of retirement benefits and the tax issues specific to planning with retirement assets in an elder law context.
Kathryn C. Casey, Dutton Casey & Mesoloras, PC, Chicago
Helen Mesoloras, Dutton Casey & Mesoloras, PC, Chicago
11:20 – 12:20 Ethical Conundrums Facing Elder Law Attorneys
(1.0 Professional Responsibility Credit)
Learn how to identify potential ethical issues that arise frequently in an elder law practice; capably apply ethical rules to assess appropriate professional conduct in hypothetical factual settings; and develop procedures in practice for addressing ethical issues.
Amy DeLaney, Delaney Delaney & Voorn, Ltd., Orland Park, Oak Brook & Chicago
Kerry R. Peck, Peck Ritchey, LLC, Chicago
12:20 - 1:20 Networking Luncheon – Included with Tuition
1:20 – 2:35 Planning Opportunities Under the New VA Pension Rules
Sweeping changes to the VA pension eligibility rules went into effect October 18, 2018. Get an overview of the modifications, with a focus on planning opportunities available to elder law practitioners and their clients under the new rules.
Valerie L. Peterson, CEO, ElderCounsel LLC, Denver, CO
2:35 – 2:50 Break — Time to Visit Sponsors and Network with Your Peers
2:50 – 3:50 Law Office Management – What Keeps Owners and Managing Partners Awake at Night
(1.0 Professional Responsibility Credit)
Understand the top ten management issues that keep owners and managing partners awake at night as well as various solutions that should help them get some sleep. Learn how to find, train and retain attorneys and staff; improve cash flow; market and develop your firm; and much more!
Ben A. Neiburger, Generation Law Ltd., Elmhurst
John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC, Olmstead & Associates, St. Louis, MO
3:50 – 4:50 Judicial Perspectives on Guardianships
Learn from the judges themselves what they think guardianship practitioners should know – and what they want to see in their courtrooms.
Judges:
Hon. Melissa S. Barnhart, Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit, Kendall County, Yorkville
Hon. Robert G. Gibson, Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, DuPage County, Wheaton
Hon. Susan Kennedy Sullivan, Circuit Court of Cook County, Chicago
Moderators:
Ray J. Koenig III, Clark Hill PLC, Chicago
Karen Mills, Strohschein Law Group, LLC, St. Charles & Wheaton
4:50 Adjourn to Optional NAELA Reception
Day TWO
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TRACK A
Moderated by: Elizabeth Fink,
WhiteheadFink Elder Law, LLC, Chicago
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TRACK B
Moderated by: Mollie Whitehead,
WhiteheadFink Elder Law, LLC, Chicago
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9:00 – 10:00
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Special Need Trust (“SNT”) Drafting and Recent POMS Updates
Learn about the differences between 1st party and 3rd party special needs trusts and get practical drafting tips in light of the new POMS updates for SNTs and ABLE accounts.
Heidi E. Dodd, Harter, Larson & Dodd, Belleville
Heather E. Voorn, Delaney Delaney & Voorn, Ltd., Orland Park, Oak Brook & Chicago
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Mental Health Commitments and the Use of Psychotropic Medication on the Elderly
The definition of mental health facilities has been greatly expanded by In re Linda B, a recent Illinois Supreme Court case with significance for hospitals and nursing facilities that treat persons with a diagnosis of mental health issues. Learn how to get someone into or out of a mental health facility and how to get court orders for medication and/or the use of electro convulsive therapy (ECT), which is being used more often for persons who are elderly and diagnosed with depression.
Joseph T. Monahan, Monahan Law Group, LLC, Chicago
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10:00 – 10:20
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Break – Time to Visit Sponsors and Network
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10:20 – 11:20
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Practical Considerations for Administering Special Needs Trusts
Learn from a panel of trust officers about best practices for administering SNTs. Understand how to effectively title assets and handle tax issues, and much more!
Scott Nixon, Life’s Plan, Inc., Lisle
Michelle L. Wieneke, Regions Private Wealth Management, Fairview Heights
Kathleen May Yoder, Fifth Third Bank, Chicago
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How to Remove a Bad Guardian or POA
This will be a very practical session for the attorney whose client comes in complaining of the actions that a POA or legal guardian is taking. When do you go beyond informing the client that this is the person the principal or the court chose to handle these duties? What exactly do you do? Get sample pleadings and discuss real-life scenarios to enhance your learning.
Leonard J. LeRose and Sarah M. LeRose,
Law Office of Leonard J. LeRose, Jr., Ltd., Chicago
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11:20 – 11:30
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Quick Transition
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11:30 – 12:30
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Practitioner Strategies to Keep Seniors and Adults with Disabilities in the Community
Learn about Illinois’ home and community-based waiver programs as well as existing consent decrees and other policies designed to maintain clients in the least restrictive settings possible.
Wendy S. Cappelletto, Office of the Public Guardian of Cook County, Chicago
Ashley C. Coppola, Clark Hill PLC, Chicago
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Litigating Nursing Home Abuse Cases: What Every Elder Law Attorney Needs to Know
Get both the elder law attorney and personal injury attorney perspective about issues that arise when pursuing a case against a nursing home for personal injuries caused by alleged abuse or neglect, including: authority of agents/surrogates to bind the principal; impacts that a lawsuit can have on a client; the exempt status of settlement proceeds for Medicaid purposes; and more!
Catherine E. Lenert, Mickey, Wilson, Weiler, Renzi, & Andersson, P.C./Elder Law Center, P.C., Sugar Grove
Michael W. Lenert, Meyers & Flowers, Chicago
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12:30 – 1:30
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Networking Lunch Provided
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1:30 – 2:30
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“If Only I Had Known ….:” Practical Tips for Newer Elder Law Attorneys
Become familiar with several important concepts that “seasoned” elder law attorneys already know like the back of their hand. Minimize the number of times you will utter the words, “if only I had known …” by learning about Medicaid eligibility rules and much more!
Constance Renzi, Mickey, Wilson, Weiler, Renzi, & Andersson, P.C./Elder Law Center, P.C., Sugar Grove
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Successful Custodial Claims: The Power of Preparation
Many clients receive care from family members who may one day want to file a custodial claim against the estate for the work they did and the sacrifices they made. Learn the rules and timelines related to custodial claims and the kind of input and documentation necessary for a clinical professional to develop a detailed and accurate valuation of the care provided.
Patricia Cline, LCSW, CCM, CLCP, C-ASWCM, NCG, Lifecare Innovations, Burr Ridge
Melissa Johnson, Generation Law Ltd., Elmhurst
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2:30 – 2:50
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Break – Time to Visit Sponsors and Network
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2:50 – 3:50
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Medicaid Appeals – The Basics and Beyond
Learn when and how you should file a Medicaid Appeal. Walk step-by-step through the process and discover some possible pitfalls. Understand the departments that you will have to coordinate with and the possible witnesses you should call at the appeal hearing. Finally, learn what you should do with your FAD (Final Administrative Decision).
Mallory Moreno, Delaney Delaney & Voorn, Ltd., Orland Park, Oak Brook & Chicago
Tiffanny H. Sievers, SI Elder Law, LLC, Marion
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The Intersection of the Probate Court, Guardians and GALs in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death and Survival Cases
Understand your client's duties, your own duties, and the necessary steps to take once a personal injury lawsuit involving a disabled adult or minor, wrongful death, or survival act settles.
Jesse A. Footlik, Peck Ritchey, LLC, Chicago
Julie L. Pustilnik, Taxman, Pollock, Murray & Bekkerman, LLC, Chicago & Lisle
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3:50 – 4:00
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Quick Transition
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4:00 – 5:00
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Kickbacks and Kicked Out: Why Grandma Isn’t Getting her 100 Days of Medicare Rehab Anymore…and What to Do About It
Have you noticed more clients (or panicked adult-children) calling you, wondering how the nursing home could possibly be sending your client home so soon – too soon? Instead of 100 days, are you seeing discharge happen routinely at day 10 or day 14 (if your client is lucky)? Medicare benefits have not changed, but hospitals and nursing homes have created (almost) impenetrable alliances. So, what’s changed – and how do you protect your client?
Colleen Ceh Becvar, Trinity Advocacy Group, LLC, Oak Brook
Susan M. Langlotz, Strohschein Law Group, LLC, St. Charles & Wheaton
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Law Firm Succession, Transition, and Exit Strategies – Ideas for Getting Started
Understand the challenges facing small firm practitioners considering retirement and learn how to plan for succession, transition, and eventual exit from practice. Specific areas to be covered include: demographics, coming to terms with aging, where and when to start, approaches, valuation and compensation, and more!
Ben A. Neiburger, Generation Law Ltd., Elmhurst
John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC, Olmstead & Associates, St. Louis, MO
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5:00 Adjourn
