Program and CLE Committee Activity in Review

As published in The Senior Lawyer:

Fall 2010, The Senior Lawyer
Program and CLE Committee

As you may recall, last October, 2009, the Senior Lawyers Section participated with the Elder Law Section in presenting a three-day Fall Meeting at The Sagamore. The CLE program was very well received, and the Meeting was a great opportunity to get to know Section members and to network. We again partnered with the Elder Law Section at a Fall Meeting held October 28-30, 2010, this year at the Renaissance Westchester Hotel in White Plains.

On the afternoon of Thursday, October 28, 2010, the Elder Law Section and the Senior Lawyers Section presented separate programs on subjects of particular interest to their respective Section members. The Senior Lawyers Section program, entitled “Mediation Comes of Age—A New Frontier for Elder Law Practitioners and Senior Lawyers,” was presented by the Dispute Resolution Section. The program covered both substantive and procedural aspects of mediation, including the application of mediation to a wide variety of issues/disputes, and provided tips on effective representation in mediation and advice on developing a practice as a mediator. The joint Friday and Saturday programs will be replete with timely topics, including the new power of attorney form; Medicaid, Medicare, and health care issues; health care reform; supplemental/special needs trusts; and financial/retirement planning.

Our next event will be the 2011 Annual Meeting. The Senior Lawyer Section’s program is scheduled for Friday afternoon, January 28, 2011. At last year’s Annual Meeting one of the participants in our program on retirement planning was Michael J. Garibaldi, CPA, ABV, CFF, Israeloff Trattner & Co., P.C. At the 2011 Annual Meeting, with Michael’s help and that of his associates, we will present “Valuation of a Professional Practice and Succession Planning—The Next Generation.” We believe this program will be of substantial interest to members of the Senior Lawyers Section as well as members of many diverse Sections. Details of the program will be coming soon. We hope you make plans to join us.

We welcome any suggestions you may have for program/CLE topics, speakers and/or sponsors, and offers to help with the development and implementation of future programs.

Carole A. Burns
Willard H. DaSilva

Spring 2010, The Senior Lawyer
Program and CLE Committee

Our Committee’s first task was to work with the Elder Law Section on the program for the Fall meeting, which was held at The Sagamore Resort on October 29–31, 2009. At the request of our Section’s members, three sessions led by a certified life coach, Rosemary C. Byrne, Esq., were added to the program and were very well attended. Other topics at the Fall meeting which were of great interest to our Section members were financial planning for the transitioning attorney, Medicare issues, and practice management for a solo or small firm when an emergency strikes. The Sagamore is a beautiful venue, and the Fall Meeting was a satisfying mix of continuing education, networking, and socializing.

Our next focus was our first solo program, which was presented on January 29, 2010 at the NYSBA’s Annual Meeting. Surveys of our Section’s membership revealed that a majority is very interested in financial issues pertaining to retirement, and our program was tailored to address the particular concerns most frequently cited by the members. The program, entitled “Financial Planning for Life After the Dark Suit,” had six segments: How Do I Know if I Have Enough—Budget and Taxes; Lump Sum v. Annuity—a Tough Choice; Longevity—Good News and Bad News; The Issue Nobody Wants to Deal With and the Penalty for Ignoring It [long-term care insurance]; Asset Allocation and Diversification—What Do They Really Mean?; and What Is the Best Investment for Retirement?

Our speakers were extraordinarily qualified: Walter T. Burke, Esq., who is a member of our Section’s Executive Committee; Michael J. Garibaldi, CPA, ABV, CFF, Israeloff Trattner & Co., P.C.; and Ann Marie Franke, CFP, CRPC, Resident Director, Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management. The program was well attended, and the topics and the speakers were enthusiastically received by the attendees.

Carole A. Burns
Willard H. DaSilva

Fall 2009, The Senior Lawyer
Program and CLE Committee

The Program and CLE Committee is energized and excited by the prospect of creating programs interesting and relevant to the diverse membership of the Senior Lawyers Section.

Our first task is to work with the Elder Law Section on the program for the Fall Meeting to be held at The Sagamore Resort on October 29-31, 2009. During our Committee’s first conference call, the participating members requested that a round table discussion led by a life coach be added to the program. After consultation with our Section’s Executive Committee and the Elder Law Section’s Program Chair, three such sessions have been added to the program, with the working title “Preparing for ‘Senior Status’--Creating a New Worklife-Leisure Balance.”

Rosemary C. Byrne, who has successfully transitioned from a lengthy career as an attorney to an NYU trained and certified Life and Personal Coach, will lead the sessions, which are designed to provide guidance in exploring and determining where you want to go on the next phase of your life journey and to highlight specific strategies to reach that destination.

Other topics at the Fall Meeting also are sure to be of interest to our Section members and include financial planning for the transitioning attorney, Medicare issues and practice management for a solo or small firm when an emergency strikes. Our Section member, Anthony R. Palermo, will be participating as a speaker in the practice management segment of the program. Full particulars of the Fall Meeting program will be forthcoming.

Our Committee’s next focus is the Annual Meeting. Program ideas for that meeting, as well as future meetings, would be very much appreciated, as would be the participation of Section members as program speakers. This will be the subject of our next conference call, but your suggestions and participation in the work of our Committee will be welcome at any time.

Carole A. Burns
Willard H. DaSilva