LK is proud to begin a new blog series for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities or with other complex conditions. Starting this January, we will be posting a blog each month on an important topic related to lifetime planning. When parents learn that their child may have a cognitive, physical, or emotional disability- whether diagnosed at birth or in adolescence- the questions can be overwhelming. Will I have resources to care for my child? How can I preserve my assets? Who will care for my child if something happens to me? How much should I advocate? What government benefits are available? The blog series will discuss the importance of estate planning documents, special education advocacy, government benefits, housing options, guardianship, least restrictive alternatives, and more. Our attorneys are looking forward to sharing information and helping parents and caregivers navigate the complex landscape. | |
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John Legend Shares Investing
Strategy With Brooklyn Law Start-Up
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Adjunct Professor Mitchell Littman surprised his Transactional Skills for Startups class with a celebrity guest speaker and client who invests in startups: singer-songwriter John Legend.
The Grammy Award-winning musician, who joined the class via Zoom on Nov. 22, discussed his work experience prior to his music career and shared his startup investment strategy. Although Legend has been playing the piano since he was a child, he is also a 1999 University of Pennsylvania graduate who spent three years at Boston Consulting Group working as an associate (think spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations) and as part of a team advising businesses on strategy.
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Lunch & Learn: School Anxiety & Students
With Diabilities in a Post-Pandemic World
| On January 12th, Littman Krooks Partner Marion Walsh presented with a virtual panel for a Lunch and Learn on School Anxiety & Students with Disabilities in a Post-Pandemic World, sponsored by Disability Rights New York (DRNY) and the New York Special Education Task Force. The Lunch and Learn included a discussion on the school anxiety epidemic and best practices for addressing the needs of students with anxiety. The panelists shared tips for parents, schools, teachers, and community providers. Marion focused her discussion on federal and state disabilities law and how disability rights law can help students with anxiety. | |
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57th Annual Hecklering
Institute on Estate Planning
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On January 11, Founding Partner Bernard A. Krooks spoke at the 57th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning. As a panelist, Bernie discussed the "Current Trends in Special Needs and Elder Law." He addressed the interplay between special needs planning and retirement accounts. He goes in-depth on other developments, including supported decision-making, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Gallardo v. Marstiller, and the effects changes in the delivery of services to seniors and individuals who are disabled are having on the advice being given to clients.
Bernie also spoke on "Practical Planning for Special Needs Beneficiaries." He reviewed case studies focusing on planning for retirement accounts when there is a special needs beneficiary. He discussed special needs trust funding and administration issues, including the taxation of special needs trusts.
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NAMI Westchester's Annual Advocacy Town Hall | Partner Marion Walsh attended the NAMI Westchester's Annual Advocacy Town Hall on January 25, 2023. (NAMI is the National Alliance for Mental Illness). The participants discussed NAMI-NYS’s Legislative Action Agenda to address NYS’s ongoing challenges with mental health care. The NAMI NYS Agenda includes: expanding community-based services with increased mobile services to meet people where they are; creating more units of housing programs with wrap-around services; expanding insurance coverage for mental health services; expanding mental health services for school-aged children, and more. Presenters included Michael Orth, Commissioner, Westchester Dept. of Community Mental Health, and Matthew Shapiro, Senior Director of Public Affairs, NAMI-NYS. Marion continues to serve on the NAMI Westchester Advocacy Committee and focuses advocacy on improving mental health care and services for school-age children and for young adults. | | |
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Understanding NYC's Directive on Involuntary Treatment for Individuals with Mental Illness
On Tuesday, November 29, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams issued a directive to give the police increased authority to assist the rising homeless population in New York City who have apparent mental health issues and are not receiving adequate treatment.
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Secure ACT 2.0
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed SECURE 2.0 Act into law. SECURE 2.0 builds on the SECURE Act that was enacted in 2019 and continues to change retirement plans for individuals.
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Littman Krooks Advocate, Sandi Rosenbaum and Partner, Marion Walsh will be presenting in the upcoming Family Empowerment Advocacy Series: I Wish I Had Known This Sooner, Understanding your Child’s Rights & Responsibilities under Special Education Law, in February 2023. Sandi will be presenting on Evaluations on February 1, 2023, and Marion will be presenting strategies for parents in a workshop entitled: Banging your Head Against a Brick Wall (What to Do when you Feel You are Getting Nowhere). This workshop is sponsored by Westchester Independent Living Center (WILC) Parent Training and Information Center (PTIC). | |
Evaluations Workshop
Speaker: Sandi Rosenbaum
Date: February 1, 2023
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Banging your Head Against a Brick Wall (What to Do when you Feel You are Getting Nowhere) Workshop
Speaker: Marion Walsh
Date: February 1, 2023
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CaringKind Legal & Financial Elder Care Planning Webinar
Legal and Financial Elder Care Planning
Speaker: Amy C. O'Hara
Date: February 6, 2023
Time: 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Registration: Call Helpline at 646-744-2900 or email helpline@cknyc.org
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CaringKind Medicaid Home Care Webinar
Speaker: Brian L. Miller
Date: April 6, 2023
Registration: Call Helpline at 646-744-2900 or email helpline@cknyc.org
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Littman Krooks LLP is among the 2022 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms." with partners that have been named as top attorneys in New York for 2022 by Super Lawyers magazine. | | | | |
