Life Care Planning: Beyond Estate Plans and Living Wills

Bundling Legal and Non-Legal Services, Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls

Recording of a 90-minute CLE webinar with Q&A

This program is included with the Strafford CLE Pass. Click for more information.
This program is included with the Strafford All-Access Pass. Click for more information.

Conducted on Thursday, April 12, 2012

Recorded event now available

or call 1-800-926-7926
Course Materials

This CLE course will provide guidance to counsel considering the benefits of life care planning for elderly clients by examining best practices for bundling additional professional services while staying in compliance with professional ethics obligations.

Description

Life Care Planning goes beyond traditional legal services by allowing law firms to work with nurses, geriatric-care managers, insurance specialists and financial planners for elderly clients. The goal is to promote the good health, safety, well-being, and quality of life of clients and their families.

Firms offering Life Care Planning combine traditional legal services like estate planning, asset preservation and public benefits qualification with client care coordination, family education, healthcare, financial decision-making, care advocacy and crisis intervention.

However, attorneys must implement Life Care Planning carefully to avoid conflicts under professional ethics rules. Rules regarding clear client identification, attorneys' professional independence, firm advertising and fee-splitting arrangements are among the potential hazards for unwary practitioners.

Listen as our experienced panel lays out the details of the practice of Life Care Planning, including the types of professional services that can be used by attorneys for elder clients and an analysis of the legal ethics rules that must be considered.

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Outline

  1. Life care planning
    1. Role of elder law counsel
    2. Aging and long-term care issues for clients
    3. Life care planning overview
    4. Goals of life care planning
  2. Providing life care planning services
    1. Description of services provided, including life care plan
    2. Role of counsel in coordinating services
    3. Working with other professionals
  3. Professional ethics considerations for counsel practicing life care planning
    1. Maintaining professional independence as a practitioner
    2. Fee-splitting
    3. Conflicts of interest
    4. Client confidentiality
    5. Advertising

Benefits

The panel will review these and other key questions:

  • What is a life care plan and how can counsel prepare one?
  • What kind of non-law professionals work for a firm offering life care planning?
  • What are the special professional ethics considerations for life care planning counsel?

Following the speaker presentations, you'll have an opportunity to get answers to your specific questions during the interactive Q&A.

Faculty

Debra K. Schuster
Debra K. Schuster
Founder
Debra K. Schuster

She is the Founder of Debra K. Schuster P.C., a holistic, client-centered firm assisting elderly and disabled...  |  Read More

Maria Miskovic
Maria Miskovic
Care Advocate/Coordinator
Debra K. Schuster

She is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked in a wide variety of healthcare settings and, most recently, as...  |  Read More

Miles Hurley
Miles Hurley
Founding Partner
Hurley Elder Care Law

He is the Founding Partner of Hurley Elder Care Law, has received the Elder Law Attorney Certification from the...  |  Read More

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