Florida Elder Law Blog - ElderLawAssociates.com

Recently, on behalf of the Joint Task Force of The Florida Bar Elder Law Section and the Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys, I submitted an Amicus Brief to the 4th District Court of Appeals in Palm Beach County on the issue of the validity of personal service contracts in Medicaid planning. The appeal is ongoing.

An amicus brief refers to someone who volunteers to offer information on a point of law or some other aspect of a case to assist the court in deciding a matter before it. The information may be a legal opinion in the form of a brief - testimony that has not been solicited by any of the parties - or a learned treatise on a matter that bears on the case. The decision whether to admit the information lies with the discretion of the court.

It was an honor just to be asked, and I will be more forthcoming with the details when I can.

-- Ellen Morris, JD

Those of you in the Ft. Myers, Florida area may have heard me on WINK 1240/1270, where I was a guest this past Saturday morning (March 29) on the one-hour weekly radio show, Retiring With Health & Wealth. The focus of the discussion was on long term care -- of course, I felt I had a lot to offer. I am hoping to have the audio file available for download soon.

-- Howard Krooks, JD, CELA

Will you be in New York on April 1? Do you need CLE credits? I will be presenting with Bernard A. Krooks on "Medicaid Update; recent cases and fiar hearing decisions; post DRA planning opportunities." It's approved for (2) CLE credits toward Professional Practice, and it's of interest to all elder law attorneys.

Co-sponsored by Sunrise Senior Living at Mill Basin and Sunrise Senior Living at Sheepshead Bay, it will be held at the Brooklyn Bar Association Meeting Hall, 123 Remsen St. For information or to register, contact the Brooklyn Bar Association: (718) 624-0675; Fax: (718) 797-1713; or online at http://www.brooklynbar.org/

--Howard Krooks, JD, CELA

We did it! We surpassed our team goal for the Alzheimer's Association Southeast Florida Chapter Memory Walk, which was on March 8th in West Palm Beach. Thanks to wide-spread support, we raised $5,320, making us the second highest fundraising team!



Our Memory Walk Team: (from left to right) Probate Paralegal Patricia McDaniel and her daughter, Office Manager Judith Miller and her son, Partner Ellen S. Morris, Receptionist Barbara Beckman, and Probate Paralegal Andrea Davis.