29th Annual Sophisticated Elder Law

Presenters

Stephen W. Dale, Esq.

The Dale Law Firm, PC, Pachecho

provides estate planning to clients by working cooperatively with the clients’ tax, financial and insurance professionals at The Dale Law Firm P.C. in Pacheco, California. He worked for 17 years as a psychiatric technician in a variety of institutions in California, and later became an intern at the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), where he worked on disability access cases before starting his own practice focused on drafting and administering special needs trusts.
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nMr. Dale serves on the boards of the Arc of California and the Contra Costa County Developmental Disabilities Counsel. He is a long-standing member of the Special Needs Alliance, a national, not-for-profit organization of attorneys dedicated to the practice of disability and public benefits law, and spends much of his time attending disability rights activities, including legislative hearings and serving on boards and committees of disability-rights organizations. Mr. Dale is also the Trustee of the Golden State Pooled Trust, which serves beneficiaries in California, and where part of his duties are to oversee a series of MCLE programs accredited by the California State Bar, which provide education to attorneys and trustees on a wide variety of disability related subjects focused on quality of life for persons with disabilities. A frequent lecturer on a variety of disability related topics across the country, he speaks annually at the Stetson Law and the Center for Excellence Special Needs Conferences, as well as The University of Texas annual Special Needs Conference. He is the recipient of the 2010 Theresa Foundation Award and the 2007 NAELA Powley Award.
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nMr. Dale received his J.D. from Armstrong Law School and his LL.M. in Taxation from Golden Gate University.
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Jane Fearn-Zimmer, Esq.

Law Office of Jane M. Fearn-Zimmer, Esq., Marlton

Certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation, is a solo practitioner at The Law Office of Jane M. Fearn-Zimmer in Marlton, New Jersey. She serves clients in elder and disability law, special needs planning, asset protection, tax and estate planning, guardianships and mental health law, and estate administration matters.
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nAdmitted to practice in New Jersey, Ms. Fearn-Zimmer is Past Chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association Elder & Disability Law Section, has served as the Section’s Legislative Coordinator and is a member of the Burlington County Bar Association and a former member of the Hunterdon and Gloucester County Bar Associations. She is a former member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Women Owned Businesses, the Estate and Planning Council of Southern New Jersey and the Gloucester County Legal Education Association.
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nMs. Fearn-Zimmer lectures on tax, special needs planning, Medicaid planning, guardianship and estate planning topics to a broad range of groups including ICLE, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Clear Law Institute, the National Business Institute, the Burlington County Bar Association and the Gloucester County Legal Education Association. Her articles have appeared in the New Jersey Law Journal and other publications, and she is Editor of The Elder Law Report, Including Special Needs Planning, a national newsletter. She is the recipient of several honors.
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nA cum laude graduate of Chestnut Hill College, Ms. Fearn-Zimmer received her J.D., with Honors in International Law, from Rutgers University School of Law-Camden, where she was a Semi-Finalist in the Hunter Advanced Moot Court Competition. She received her LL.M. in Taxation, with distinction, from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, where she was the recipient of the Graduate Tax Award. She was also a federal judicial clerk to the Honorable John S. Unpingco, Chief Judge of the District Court of Guam, where she served on the Civil and Criminal Justice Reform Act Committees for the District of Guam.
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Mark R. Friedman, Esq.

Friedman Law, Bridgewater

practices estate planning, elder law and special needs law with Friedman Law in Bridgewater, New Jersey. His work includes creating special needs trusts for disabled clients so litigation proceedings, child support and other payments will not disrupt public benefits; helping seniors plan to prevent long-term care costs from wiping out their savings; and estate planning in first marriages, second marriages and for unmarried clients.
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nAdmitted to practice in New Jersey and New York, Mr. Friedman is Past Chair and former Roundtable Coordinator and Legislative Coordinator of the New Jersey State Bar Association Elder and Disability Law Section. He was Somerset County representative to and Executive Committee member of the NJSBA Young Lawyers, and served on the NJSBA Blue Ribbon Commission on Unmet Legal Needs. Prior to joining the firm Mr. Friedman was a Contributing Editor for The FCPA Blog in Singapore, ROS, where he provided analysis on compliance, corruption and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). He is the author of articles including “Modern Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples” (New Jersey Law Journal, October 14, 2013).
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nMr. Friedman received his B.A. from Binghamton University, State University of New York, and his J.D. from New York University Law School, where he was selected as an inaugural Fellow with Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics, which sends law and medical students to Germany and Poland to study their profession’s role in the Nazi genocide. He also created the Darfur Victims Project at NYU, leading a team of law students in support of litigation before the International Criminal Court.
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Evan Kerstetter, Esq.

Archer Law Office, Hamilton

is an associate with Archer Law Office with offices in Hamilton, Jamesburg, Marlton and Raritan, New Jersey. He concentrates his practice in Medicaid planning and application matters, guardianships and special needs work, estate planning and chancery litigation.
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nMr. Kerstetter received his B.A. from St. Joseph’s University and his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law-Camden. He clerked for the Honorable W. Todd Miller, JSC, Atlantic and Cape May Counties.
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Lauren S. Marinaro, Esq.

Fink Rosner Ershow-Levenberg Marinaro LLC, Clark

is a Partner in Fink Rosner Ershow-Levenberg Marinaro, LLC in Clark, New Jersey, and focuses her practice in elder and disability law matters including estate planning, guardianship, Medicaid Asset preservation planning, Medicaid fair hearings, estate administration, and estate and fiduciary litigation. She has also been an Accredited Veterans Attorney (pension benefits).
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nAdmitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, Ms. Marinaro is Past Chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association Elder & Disability Law Section and has been President of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys New Jersey Chapter (NAELA-NJ). She is a member of NAELA’s Board of Directors and is Co-Chair of the NAELA Public Policy Steering Committee. She has lectured for ICLE, NAELA and at county and state bar events on topics including elder law case updates, New Jersey power of attorney issues, psychiatric advance directives and the Medicaid Global Options for Long-Term Care programs. She has also lectured on developments in Olmstead-related case law, mental health parity, and Medicaid home and community-based services for married couples at national conferences.
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nMs. Marinaro received her B.A. and M.P.A.P. from Rutgers University, and her J.D. and LL.M. in Elder Law from the University of Kansas School of Law.
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Avram L. Sacks, Esq.

Avram L. Sacks, Attorney At Law, Skokie

is the owner of Avram L. Sacks, Attorney at Law in Skokie, Illinois. A national expert in Social Security law, he has provided guidance for thousands of professionals in taxation under FICA and SECA, benefit analysis, and disability benefit advocacy.
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nMr. Sacks has successfully represented clients in many cases before the United States District Court of for the District of Northern Illinois and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He has been a member of the Chicago Bar Association and its Social Security Law Committee, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and its Government Assistance Programs Steering Committee, and the National Organization of Social Security Claimant’s Representatives (NOSSCR). A former editor of the CCH Social Security Law Reporter; Mr. Avram is the author of two annually-revised books on Social Security Law; a desktop manual for professional service providers (including attorneys, accountants, and HR professionals) and a benefits booklet for lay people. He has been frequently quoted in the media, most notably the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and is a frequent lecturer for professionals and lay people on benefit claiming strategies that will maximize Social Security retirement benefits.
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nMr. Sacks received his A.B. from Indiana University-Bloomington and his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
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Ryann Siclari, Esq., CELA

Porzio Bromberg & Newman, PC, Morristown

Certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the ABA-accredited National Elder Law Foundation, is counsel to Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C. in Morristown, New Jersey, where she concentrates her practice primarily in elder and disability law, including long-term care, government benefits planning and advocacy, estate and trust administration, and estate planning. She counsels the aging and disabled or their families regarding the goals of having sufficient health care coverage, the ability to age in place and preserving assets against possible long-term care costs.
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nAdmitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, Ms. Siclari is also a Veterans Administration Accredited Attorney. She is Past Chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Elder Law Section, where she has also served as Roundtable and Legislative Coordinator, and is a former Trustee of the New Jersey Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). She has lectured on elder law topics to attorneys and community organizations.
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nMs. Siclari received her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Widener University School of Law, where she was Styles Editor of The Delaware Journal of Corporate Law and the recipient of the Dean’s and Outstanding Service Awards. She received her LL.M. in Elder Law, with Distinction, from Stetson University College of Law.
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