PBI's "Estate Law Institute" Nov 28th-29th

The Pennsylvania Bar Institute will present its 14th Annual "Estate Law Institute" on November 28 (Wed) & 29 (Thu), 2007, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, in Philadelphia, PA.

It is co-sponsored by the Probate & Trust Law Division, of the Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section, of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

A well-known "keynote" speaker will begin each of the Institute's two full days:

Wednesday’s Keynote Speaker:

Bruce S. Ross will open this year’s Institute discussing his role as an attorney for The Estate of Anna Nicole Smith and the estate administration issues.

He is partner in the Los Angeles, California office of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP and is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with over 30 years experience litigating trust, estate and conservatorship cases. He has appeared pro hac vice in several states to handle such litigation and has consulted on cases with colleagues overseas on international succession matters, including, in particular, Switzerland, Israel and Australia. Mr. Ross is a consultant to and expert witness for plaintiffs and defense attorneys, accountants and malpractice insurance carriers in the areas of estate planning, probate, fiduciary litigation, and professional responsibility. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for more than 10 years. He is a Fellow (1983-present) and President (2006-2007), American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC).

Thursday’s Keynote Speaker:

Natalie Choate will kick-off Thursday’s program with a session on The Best & Worst Planning Ideas for Your Client’s Retirement Benefits.

She is Of Counsel to Bingham McCutchen, LLP and the author of two books, Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits and The QPRT Manual. She is the former regent, and current chair of Employee Benefits Committee, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Ms. Choate was named "Estate Planner of the Year" by the Boston Estate Planning Council, and awarded the "Distinguished Accredited Estate Planner" designation by the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils. She is listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

The topics to be covered, and the speakers who will cover them, are impressive.

Topics:

• Overview of Estate Planning Objectives, Documents and Techniques
• Getting Out of Trusts
• Planning for Your Client’s Special Needs Child
• Recent Developments in Pennsylvania Practice
• Preparation of the Gift Tax Return Form 709 – The Law and the Lore
• Guardianships of Incapacitated Persons
• Asset Protection Planning Civility and Professionalism in the Practice of Law (ethics)
• Graduate Level 529 & Other Education Funding
• Overview of Taxes Upon Death
• Pennsylvania Uniform Trust Act One Year Later: A Symposium
• Act 43 and Deficit Reduction Act Issues
• Probate & Estate Distribution Issues
• Life Insurance Trust
• Powers of Attorney and Gifting Powers
• Medical Assistance, Estate Recovery in Depth
• Practical Tips for Creating Usable POAs
• Minimizing Your Risk in Estate Planning-Avoiding Litigation
• FLPs & Section 2036
• ABCs of IRAs
• Drafting Health Care Directives Post Act 169
• Estate Planning for the Non-Traditional Family
• Lawyers as Fiduciaries (ethics)
• Update on Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax & PA Estate Tax
• Business Valuations
• GSTs for Beginners
• Getting the Most $$ from Your Charitable Trust – Section 8113 in Theory and Practice
• Software Comparisons
• The Best & Worst Planning Ideas for Your Client’s Retirement Benefits
• Case Studies in Estate Planning for Retirement Benefits: Practical Ideas for Real Life Situations
• Conducting an Effective Initial Client Interview
• Death and Taxes: The Inherited Retirement Plan
• Debts & Claims & Closing the Estate: Court Accountings & Family Agreements
• Issues in Charitable Giving
• Ethics Update
• Special Needs Trusts
• Fine Art Appraisals

Speakers:

• R. Michael Daniel, Esq., Cohen & Grigsby, PC, Pittsburgh
• James L. Hollinger, Esq., Smith Aker Grossman and Hollinger, LLP, Norristown
• Terrance A. Kline, Esq., EDITOR, Law Office of Terrance Kline, Media
• Pam H. Schneider, Esq., Gadsen Schneider & Woodward, King of Prussia
• Martha A. Zatezalo, Esq., PNC Bank, Pittsburgh
• J. Brooke Aker, Esq., Smith, Aker, Grossman & Hollinger, LLP, Norristown
• Jerald David August, Esq., Fox Rothschild LLP, West Palm Beach, FL
• Martyn S. Babitz, Esq., Hawthorn--A PNC Company, Philadelphia
• Mary Jane Barrett, Esq., CELA, Harkins and Harkins, Philadelphia
• Lawrence L. Barth, Esq., Office of the Attorney General, Philadelphia
• Thomas A. Boulden, Esq., Timony Knox LLP, Fort Washington
• Timothy F. Burke, Jr., Esq., Tener VanKirk Wolf & Moore, PC, Pittsburgh
• Jerry B. Chariton, Esq., Chariton & Schwager, Wilkes-Barre
• Robert R. Church, Esq., Keefer Wood Allen & Rahal, LLP, Harrisburg
• J. Paul Dibert, Business & Trust Valuation Manager, Dept. of Revenue, Harrisburg
• Hon. Calvin S. Drayer, Jr., Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County, Orphans' Court Division, Norristown
• Linda Rhone Enion, Esq., Lovett Bookman Harmon Marks, Pittsburgh
• Daniel B. Evans, Esq., Wyndmoor
• Karen A. Fahrner, Esq., Bryn Mawr Trust Company, Bryn Mawr
• Kim D. Fetrow, Esq., Heckscher, Teillon, Terrill & Sager, PC, West Conshohocken
• Aubrey H. Glover, Esq., Cohen & Grigsby, PC, Pittsburgh
• Daphne Goldman, Esq., PNC Bank NA, Philadelphia
• Elizabeth J. Goldstein, Esq., Law Office of Elizabeth J. Goldstein, PC, Camp Hill
• Paul C. Heintz, Esq., Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP, Philadelphia
• Neil E. Hendershot, Esq., Goldberg Katzman, P.C., Harrisburg
• Kathleen D. Hendrickson, Esq., President, Achieva Family Trust, Pittsburgh
• Kevin Holleran, Esq., Gawthorp, Greenwood & Halsted, P.C., West Chester
• Benjamin L Jerner, Esq., Jerner & Palmer, P.C.
• Kenneth E. Lewis, Esq., Fox Rothschild, LLP, Pittsburgh
• Jeffrey J. Malak, Esq.
• Kathy C. Mandelbaum, Esq., Director of the Graduate Tax Program & Assoc. Professor of Law, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Philadelphia
• Dennis C. McAndrews, Esq., McAndrews Law Offices, P.C., Berwyn
• John F. Meck, Esq., Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, Pittsburgh
• Sara A. Mercer, Esq., Law Office of Sara A. Mercer, Pittsburgh
• J. Mark Munson, Esq., Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, P.C., Pittsburgh
• Hon. Stanley R. Ott, Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, Norristown
• Tiffany L. Palmer, Esq., Jerner & Palmer, PC, Philadelphia
• G. Bradley Rainer, Esq., Eckell Sparks Levy Auerbach Monte Rainer Sloane, PC, Media
• Dennis C. Reardon, Esq., Reardon & Associates, LLC, Wayne
• Margaret E.W. Sager, Esq., Heckscher Teillon Terrill & Sager, PC, West Conshohocken
• David E. Schwager, Esq., Chariton & Schwager, Wilkes-Barre
• Heather Semple, AAA, USOAO, ECI Fine Art Appraisal, Sewickley
• Jacqueline J. Shafer , Esq., High Swartz Roberts & Siedel LLP, Norristown
• John A. Terrill, II, Esq., Heckscher, Teillon, Terrill & Sager, PC, West Conshohocken
• Kirby G. Upright, Esq., King Spry Herman Freund & Faul LLC, Bethlehem
• Robert I. Whitelaw, Esq., Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP, Philadelphia
• Andrew Wilusz, ASA, Value Management, Inc., Newtown
• Edward P. Wojnaroski, Jr., Esq., Williams, Coulson, Johnson, Lloyd, Parker and Redesco, PC, Pittsburgh
• Robert B. Wolf, Esq., Tener, VanKirk, Wolf & Moore, PC, Pittsburgh
• C. Thomas Work, Esq., Stevens & Lee, P.C., Reading

I will be there, moderating two sessions (one each day) on software & Internet resources for estate & trust practitioners -- one session about estate administration software & online resources; and the other about estate planning software & online resources. Our session presenters will include Dan Evans, Kathy Dever, Eugene Gillin, Vince Lackner, Don Tappin, and myself.

UPDATE: 12/14/07:

On November 28, 2007, "Estate Planning Software for the Professional" was the topic of a one-hour presentation during the second day of the 14th Annual "Estate Law Institute". See: PA EE&F Law Blog posting "Estate Planning & Drafting Software" (12/11/07).

On November 29, 2007, "Fiduciary Administration Software for the Professional" was the topic of a one-hour presentation during the second day of the 14th Annual "Estate Law Institute". See: PA EE&F Law Blog posting "Fiduciary Administration Software" (12/14/07).