National Conference

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Thursday, October 23, 2025

8:20 a.m.-9:20 a.m.

Advocacy – An Essential Part of a Special Needs Practice (Now More Than Ever...)
Frederick M. Misilo, Jr.

9:20 a.m.-10:10 a.m.

Where Child Support Meets Special Needs - A Survey of Current Law
Craig Reaves

10:25 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

11:15 a.m.-12:05 p.m.

    • Raising the Degree of Difficulty:  When Immigration Issues Collide With Care
      Michael Vastine

      • No Materials
      • No PowerPoint

1:30 p.m.-2:20 p.m. - Breakout Session 1

      • Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll: Atypical Beneficiary Distribution Requests  
        Megan Brand, Marco Chayet, and Peter Wall
      • Making it Work: Income Strategies to Protect Your Client’s Benefits Eligibility 
        Elizabeth Moran
      • Crowdfunding and Public Benefits 
        Lauren Mechaly

2:25 p.m.-3:15 p.m. - Breakout Session 2

      • Ethical Practice in Elder Law and Special Needs Law: Preventing Mistakes Before They Become Claims   
        Roberta Flowers
      • Can’t You Decant?  
        Michelle Mulvena
      • Medicaid’s Right to Reimbursement and Special Needs Trusts 
        Bridget O’Brien Swartz

3:30 p.m.-4:20 p.m. - Breakout Session 3

      • The Unseen Burden: Navigating Special Needs Planning for Solo Ager Caregivers  
        Eric Einhart
          • Materials
        • PowerPoint

      • SNT Ethics Jeopardy   
        Becky Morgan, Bryn Poland, Mary Alice Jackson, Robert Fleming
        • No PowerPoint (will be available after the session!)

      • Remote Support: What it Can—and Cannot!—Do 
        Janet Lowder and Jeanne Sydenstricker

4:25 p.m.-5:15 p.m. - Breakout Session 4

      • First Party Special Needs Trusts-Settlement Consultation: What a Trust Practitioner Should Know, Consider, and Review  
        Ethan Ordog
      • HOT Issues in HOTMA: Trustees (and others) Beware!    
        Stuart Zimring and Emily Starr
      • Proposed Changes to Model Rule 1.14: How They Will Affect Practice 
        Charles Sabatino

    Friday, October 24, 2025

     

    8:15 a.m.-9:05 a.m.

    • Medicaid Update 
      Alice Burns

    9:05 a.m.-9:45 a.m.

    • Planning for and Advising Clients
      Alice Burns, Mary O’Byrne, Mary Alice Jackson, and Neal Winston

      • No Materials
      • No PowerPoint

    10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.

    11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

    • The Update
      Elizabeth Friman and Robert Fechtman

    • 1:30 p.m.-2:20 p.m. - Breakout Session 1

      • IEPs and Transition Plans: Present Levels for Future Planning 
        Jeff Eckert
      • Passing the Baton: Trustee Resignation, Release, and Transition Challenges in Supplemental Needs Trusts 
        Tara Anne Pleat
      • 2025 Tax Update
        Bradley Frigon

      • 2:25 p.m.-3:15 p.m. - Breakout Session 2

        • Is the Trust an Employer? 
          Jason Bent
        • Scams and Deception Abound 
          Mark Bauer and Janet Varnell
            • No Materials
          • No PowerPoint

        • Medicaid Work Requirement – What is it, Whom is Effected, and Does it Matter?
          Thomas Smith

      • 3:30 p.m.-4:20 p.m. - Breakout Session 3

        • Navigating Distance & Disability: Legal and Fiduciary Approaches to Remote Caregiving  
          Michael Cognetti and Tara Anne Pleat 
        • The House is on Fire…Literally  
          Bridget O’Brien Swartz and Mark Bauer
        • The Great SNT Road Trip: First-Party SNT Beneficiaries Crossing State Lines
          Christopher Smith

    • 4:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

      • If I Knew Then What I Know Now: Wisdom from Experienced SNT Attorneys 
        Janet Lowder, Vincent Russo, Shirley Whitenack, and Robert Fleming

        • No Materials
        • No PowerPoint