All half day quarterly MA Forum Educational programs are free for current members in good standing. The fee for non-member attorneys is $55 per person. All attendees should register ahead of time for a proper head count for planning purposes.
Meanwhile, if you have any questions, please send a message to us via: board@maforumepa.com. Please recall that we are a purely volunteer-only Board of actively-practicing attorneys. We thank you in advance for your (and your team/staff members') courteous patience while you wait for our reply.
WINTER 2021
Topic: "How to Change Lanes without Getting a Ticket - Real Estate Law for the Estate and Probate Attorney"
Date: Friday, February 26, 2021
Time: 9:00am to 12:00pm
Getting tired of hearing "stay in your lane" when trying to deal with a real estate matter related to a client's probate or estate planning? In this meeting, Carrie Rainen, Esq of Rainen Law Office, P.C., and Lisa Vesperman Still, Esq., New England Regional Counsel and MA Underwriting Counsel for WFG National Title Insurance Company, discussed "traps for the unwary" that create marketability of title issues, and how to avoid them. Topics included homestead quirks; realty trusts and Trustee Certificates under MGL c. 184, sec. 35; Land Court requirements and considerations; deeds of distribution; powers of attorney; self-dealing; life estates; nominal consideration deeds, and more.
SUMMER 2021
Topic: "Navigating the Uncertainty of the Proposed Tax Code Changes"
Date: Friday, August 27, 2021
Time: 9:00AM to 12:00PM
Lately, there has been much hand wringing over recent proposals to change the tax code. Let’s get together to take stock of how the different proposals could impact your estate planning and elder law clients now and in the future. We will also talk about the important planning techniques you should continue to use regardless of the current uncertainty.
During our Summer Quarterly Meeting, Jessica Fisher Greene, Attorney at Walters & Galloway, PLLC, lead us through the proposed changes to:
- Capital gains rates
- Basis step-up
- Other relevant proposals that could impact your estate planning clients with an additional focus on those elder law clients’ tax obligations
She also covered trust drafting considerations that can give your clients flexibility, while optimizing protection, without knowing the exact future of the country’s tax policy.
Jessica Fisher Greene is an attorney with Walters & Galloway, PLLC in South Central Pennsylvania. She focuses her practice in the areas of Elder Law, Estate Planning, Estate Administration, Medicaid Planning, and Disability Planning. Jessica graduated from The Penn State Dickinson School of Law in May 2010, in the top fifteen percent of her class. In 2015 she earned a master’s degree (LL.M.) in Elder Law, graduating “with distinction” from Stetson University College of Law. In 2016 she achieved the distinctive designation of Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation. She serves as Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Cumberland County Bar Association, is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys (PAELA), and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). Additionally, she is an accredited attorney for veterans’ benefits before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In demand as a speaker, she has presented for a variety of continuing education programs.
SPRING 2021
Topic: "PART II: How to Change Lanes without Getting a Ticket - Real Estate Law for the Estate and Probate Attorney"
Date: Friday, May 21, 2021
Time: 9:00am to 12:00pm
Getting tired of hearing "stay in your lane" when trying to deal with a real estate matter related to a client's probate or estate planning? In this PART TWO meeting, Carrie Rainen, Esq of Rainen Law Office, P.C., and Lisa Vesperman Still, Esq., New England Regional Counsel and MA Underwriting Counsel for WFG National Title Insurance Company, discussed "traps for the unwary" that create marketability of title issues, and how to avoid them. Topics included homestead quirks; realty trusts and Trustee Certificates under MGL c. 184, sec. 35; Land Court requirements and considerations; deeds of distribution; powers of attorney; self-dealing; life estates; nominal consideration deeds, and more.
FALL 2021
Topic: How to Use Technology to Improve Your Estate Planning Practice
Date: Friday, November 19, 2021
Time: 9:00AM to 12:00PM
AGENDA:
USING WEALTH DOCX CUSTOM CLAUSES FOR INCREASED DRAFTING EFFICIENCY
Lissa Bealke Moore, Project Implementation Manager from Wealth Counsel, will teach us how best to use custom clauses for drafting, how to save them in and use the clause library in Wealth Docx, and how to post attachments to the Massachusetts Community Page on the Wealth Counsel website so we can all share documents and clauses with each other.
USING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE YOUR LAW PRACTICE AND YOUR LIFE
Beth Kostelnik, Esq.
Beth is an Illinois estate planning lawyer and owner of Peace of Mind Legal Services, LLC. Beth is also a project management consultant specializing in technology implementation and technology adoption. Beth has over ten years of experience consulting for various clients from small local businesses to Fortune 500 Companies. Beth leverages her experience as an estate planning lawyer and management consultant to help lawyers discover how technology can improve their law practices.
Beth is the founder and administrator of the Estate Planning Lawyers – Tech Junkies Facebook group. The Facebook group has over 1400 members supporting each other through all phases of technology implementation in their firms.
When Beth isn’t working, she enjoys spending time at local coffee shops and exploring nature with her two young children.
You can also find Beth at:
Techie PM Consulting Services - www.techiepm.com
Connect with Beth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethkostelnik
As always, we will also include a roundtable discussion about the most relevant topics of interest of our members, possibly any updates regarding the proposed tax changes. Please send any suggested topics to the Board at: board@maforumepa.com.
Following the quarterly program, will be our Annual Meeting and vote for the Board of Directors for the next term. Only current members in good standing (i.e. who have been approved for membership and paid their annual dues in full) may vote.
The nominees, as submitted by the nominating committee, are:
The slate for the class of 2022:
Lucy Budman, Esq. (to fill the vacancy created by Amy Antonellis, Esq.)
Slate for the class of 2023:
Holly Lemieux, Esq.
William Smyth, Esq.
George Constant, Esq.
Christopher Anasoulis, Esq.
Nancy Kelleigh, Esq.
Note: Returning to the class of 2022:
Paul Bernstein, Esq.
Allen Margulis, Esq.
Danielle G. Van Ess, Esq.
Maria Baler, Esq.
Brandon Walecka, Esq.