FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Florence Nathan
732-937-7518
April 09, 2012
The public is invited to Strategies for Seniors, a free Senior Citizens' Law Day Conference on Thursday, May 10, 2012, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the New Jersey Law Center. Three dynamic experts will speak about a variety of issues affecting older Americans and how to plan successfully for the future. The program is sponsored by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and the New Jersey State Bar Association's Elder and Disability Law Section. A complimentary continental breakfast will be offered. Admission is free but registration is required. The Law Center is located off Ryders Lane in New Brunswick near the East Brunswick border.
The speakers are attorneys with extensive experience in elder law: Lawrence A. Friedman of Bridgewater; Cathyanne Pisciotta, a principal in Pisciotta & Menasha, Attorneys at Law in North Brunswick; and Peggy Sheahan Knee of The Knee Law Firm, Hackensack. Mr. Friedman also serves as chair of the Senior Citizens' Law Day conference.
The current economic picture is cloudy at best. But there are steps you can take now to help meet retirement goals and ensure better days ahead. Mr. Friedman outlines those essential tactics in "Secure Your Future in Troubling Times with Planning: Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Directives, Long-Term Care and Saving Tax." He will speak about how a lawyer-prepared estate plan can save substantial inheritance tax and estate tax compared to no planning and ways to fund long-term care affordably through Medicaid planning. A former chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association's Elder and Disabilities Law Section, he is a member of the Board of Consultors of the Association's Real Property, Trusts and Estate Law Section. Mr. Friedman received the Association's Distinguished Legislative Service Award for drafting legislation to help New Jersey's citizens use Special Needs Trusts to preserve disability benefits. Recognized in New Jersey Super Lawyers for his work in elder law and special needs, he is a frequent speaker on those topics as well as estate and tax planning. For many years Mr. Friedman has chaired and lectured at programs to teach elder law, special needs, and estate and tax planning to other lawyers. He has contributed to numerous treatises on elder law, special needs, and estate and tax planning and has authored many articles for lawyers and the public. Mr. Friedman has served on the board of directors of many nonprofit organizations including Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of New Jersey, and as director of the New Jersey chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He received his J.D. and a Master of Laws degree in taxation from New York University School of Law.
Ms. Pisciotta will speak about "Guardianships" and the circumstances that lead family members to seek a guardianship, such as when a parent, spouse or other loved one becomes confused, loses the ability to communicate his or her wishes, or otherwise becomes incapable of acting in his or her own best interests. She will go through the steps to obtaining guardianship when filing an application and also describe situations in which guardianship might not be the most appropriate course of action. Ms. Pisciotta focuses her practice in Elder Law and handles a wide variety of litigation matters including probate, estate and trust disputes. She is a Member of the Elder Law and Disability Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, where she holds the office of Vice Chair. Ms. Pisciotta received both her J.D. and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Vermont Law School. She also earned an Estate Planning Certificate and a Master of Laws degree (LL.M) in Taxation from Temple University School of Law.
Ms. Sheahan Knee's presentation, "Be Prepared: Getting Your Affairs in Order," will examine durable powers of attorney, medical directives and living wills, whether one should prepay funeral expenses, and the possibility of guardianship as a consequence of not being prepared. Ms. Sheahan Knee, who concentrates her practice in estate planning and administration, elder law and estate and trust litigation, is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey and Florida and is certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. She is a past president of the New Jersey State Bar
Association and a past chair of the Association's Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section and its Women in the Profession Section. Additionally, she served as past president of the Northern New Jersey Estate Planning Council, as a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. A 2002 recipient of ICLE's Distinguished Service Award, she is a keynote speaker and frequent lecturer before various professional and business groups. Ms. Sheahan Knee is the author of New Jersey Probate and Estate Administration 2011 edition and New Jersey Elder Law 2010/2011 edition, and was an adjunct professor at Rutgers-Newark Law School. A graduate of Fordham College and Fordham University School of Law, she holds a Masters of Law in Taxation from New York University School of Law.
A question-and-answer period follows each presentation. To register, visit the New Jersey State Bar Foundation online at www.njsbf.org, For the Public, Events; or call 1-800-FREE LAW.