BIOGRAPHIES 487
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JEFFREY A. ASHER, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Jeffrey A. Asher, Esq. is the principal attorney at the Law Offices of Jeffrey A. Asher, PLLC. The Law Offices of Jeffrey A. Asher, PLLC, is a full service law firm, handling Estate Planning, Elder Law, Probate, Estate and Trust Administration, Estate and Trust Litigation, Medicaid Planning, Long-Term Care Planning, and Special Needs Planning. 489
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KIMBERLY S. BLISS, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Kimberly S. Bliss is an Associate Attorney with the law firm of Shamberg Marwell Hollis Andreycak & Laidlaw, P.C., where she has been practicing elder law assisting clients in becoming eligible for Medicaid benefits, including long term care in the community and nursing home care, estate planning, probate, guardianship and estate/trust administration. Prior to her employment at Shamberg Marwell Hollis Andreycak & Laidlaw, P.C., Kimberly worked as an Associate Attorney at Laidlaw Firm, Attorneys at Law, PLLC. A summa cum laude graduate of Pace University School of Law, Kimberly served as Case Note and Comment Editor of the Pace Law Review, was an extern to federal magistrate judge Lisa M. Smith, and co-authored a piece on educational tax benefits for the publication Tax Notes. She is admitted to practice in the State Courts of New York and is a member of the New York State Bar Association, Trusts and Estates and Elder Law and Special Needs Section, Westchester County Bar Association and Westchester Women s Bar Association. 491
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BRITT BURNER, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Britt Burner is an associate at Nancy Burner & Associates, P.C. She joined the firm in March 2014 and since that time, she has been the driving force behind our Manhattan office. Immediately after taking the bar, Britt started working at Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP in New York City as a litigation associate and then became an Assistant District Attorney in the Sex Crimes Bureau at the Kings County District Attorney s Office. Britt then went on to be an associate at a Manhattan firm focusing her practice on Elder Law and Estate Planning. Britt received her undergraduate degree from Boston College and her Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School where she was a Notes & Comments Editor of the Brooklyn Law Review. Britt is a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Elder Law and Special Needs Section as a Vice-Chair of the Legislative Committee and previously as a Vice-Chair of the Medicaid Committee. She is also a member of the New York State Bar Association s Trusts and Estates Section and is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, serving on the Board of Directors for the New York State Chapter. Britt is currently serving her fourth term as Secretary of the New York City Bar Association Committee on the Legal Problems of the Aging. Britt is licensed to practice law in New York State. She lives in Downtown Brooklyn. 493
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KEVIN COHEN, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Kevin has extensive experience representing individual and corporate clients in all aspects of estate planning and administration. His experience ranges from small to multi-million dollar estates in both national and international venues. He routinely drafts complex estate plans and all documents relating to the administration of estates including the preparation of federal and state gift and estate tax returns and fiduciary income tax returns. His practice includes defending those returns on audit. Kevin is proficient in handling federal and multi-state gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes. He is skilled in conducting litigation matters including objections to accountings, construction proceedings and contested probate proceedings. Kevin has served as an expert witness in intricate trusts and estates and tax litigation. Kevin was the recipient of the prestigious Westchester Business Council Forty Under Forty award. This award recognizes individuals who are leaders in their field. Kevin served as an assistant adjunct professor at New York University's Center for Finance, Law and Taxation where he taught Federal Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates. He frequently participates as a panelist and featured lecturer for numerous continuing legal education seminars sponsored by the New York State Bar Association and other organizations. Kevin is a past chair of the Trusts and Estates Section of the Westchester County Bar Association and serves as the 9th judicial district representative to the New York State Bar Association s Trusts and Estates Section. He has been recognized in the Metro area Super Lawyers in the Trusts & Estates category and has also been named a Five Star Professional Wealth Manager Award Winning Trusts and Estates attorney. Kevin started his career as a tax consultant for a Big Six accounting firm. Thereafter, he joined the trusts and estates department of a major Wall Street law firm as an associate. Prior to starting the Law Offices of Kevin H. Cohen, P.C., in 2003, Kevin headed the trusts and estates department of a prominent Westchester law firm where he also concentrated in the practice of elder law. Kevin received his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (J.D., 1995) and graduated, cum laude, from the State University of New York at Albany (B.S., Business Administration, Concentration in Finance, 1992). He is admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Memberships: New York State Bar Association, Westchester County Bar Association. 495
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PROFESSOR ROBERTA K. FLOWERS BIOGRAPHY B.A., Baylor University J.D., University of Colorado Roberta K. Flowers is a professor of law and Co-Director of the Center for Excellence in Elder Law at Stetson University College of Law. Within the Elder Law LL.M. program, Professor Flowers teaches Ethics in an Elder Law Practice. She also teaches Evidence, Criminal Procedure, and Professional Responsibility. While at Stetson, Professor Flowers has successfully coached trial teams, arbitration teams and moot court teams to national championships. She has served as the director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy and as the William Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Professor in Professionalism. During her time at Stetson, Professor Flowers has received the university-level Excellence in Teaching Award, Most Inspirational Teacher Award from the Student Bar Association, and an award from the Student Bar Association for supporting student life. She also has received the university-level Homer and Dolly Hand Award for Excellence in Scholarship, the Dean's Award for Extraordinary Service, and been awarded the Distinguished Service Award four times. In 2005, the Florida Supreme Court awarded Professor Flowers the Faculty Professionalism Award. Professor Flowers has lectured worldwide on the topic of ethics. She won a Telly Award for Excellence in Educational Films for having produced a series of educational videos on the ethical issues faced by prosecuting attorneys. Along with Professor Rebecca Morgan, she created a video series used to train and educate attorneys nationwide on the ethical dilemmas faced by elder law attorneys. The Florida Supreme Court awarded Professor Morgan and Professor Flowers the Florida Supreme Court Professionalism Award for their video productions. Additionally, with Professor Morgan, Professor Flowers designed the nation's first "elder friendly courtroom," which serves as model for courtrooms of the future. Before arriving at Stetson, Professor Flowers worked as a prosecutor in both the state and federal system. She began her career in 1984 as a deputy district attorney for the 18th Judicial District of Colorado, where she served as a trial attorney in the criminal division. In 1989, she was appointed assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, where she served in the Appellate Division, the Major Crimes Unit and the Public Corruption Unit. Professor Flowers graduated magna cum laude from Baylor University in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She received her J.D. from the University of Colorado in 1984, where she was selected to be a member of the Order of the Coif. Professor Flowers' research interests center on the issues of ethics and professionalism. Professor Flowers' articles have appeared in such journals as the Fordham Law Review, theboston College Law Review, Missouri Law Review, the Nebraska Law Review, the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly, the Stetson Law Review, and thenaela Journal. Professor Flowers is active in several professional associations. She has served on numerous committees of The Florida Bar, including the Professional Ethics Committee, the Evidence Committee, and the Standing Committee on Professionalism. She is currently the chair of the Professionalism Sub-Committee of the Litigation Section's Ethics and Professionalism Committee of the American Bar Association. 497
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JEANETTE GRABIE, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Jeanette Grabie is the firm's Principal Attorney/Partner. She practices in the areas of Elder Law and Estate Planning. with a strong concentration in Medicaid Eligibility, Asset Protection, and Trusts and Estates. Ms. Grabie is a member of the Executive Committee of the Elder Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, Chair of the Housing and Real Estate Committee, and is a Director on the Board of the Suffolk Academy of Law. She is a past President of the Estate Planning Council of Suffolk County, former Co-Chair of the Elder Law Committee of the Suffolk County Bar Association. and former Co-Chair of the Trusts and Estates & Elder Law Committee of the Suffolk County Women's Bar Association. She shares her extensive experience in implementing emergency asset protection plans and qualifying seniors and the disabled for Medicaid-paid care at home and in nursing homes by teaching these skills to other attorneys. She has taught Continuing Legal Education classes in Elder Law, Medicaid Eligibility and Asset Protection for the New York State Bar Association, the Suffolk Academy of Law, and the National Business Institute. She is also a presenter at many public service informational programs for senior citizens at local senior citizens centers, and was a program chair for Senior Law Day, sponsored by Senator Englebright, Stony Brook University, and the Suffolk Bar. Ms. Grabie has been published in Newsday, the New York State Bar Elder Law newsletter and the Suffolk County Bar Association newsletter. She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the Touro College Jacob D, Fuchsberg Law Center. Ms. Grabie is admitted to the practice of law in New York State. 499
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ANGELO GRASSO, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Angelo Grasso is a partner at Greenfield Stein & Senior, LLP, practicing in trusts & estates litigation. Angelo represents clients in a variety of proceedings in Surrogate s Court, including probate contests, discovery proceedings, contested accountings, and guardianships. Angelo has served as lead counsel on trials in Surrogate s and Supreme Court, and on appeals to the Appellate Division. Angelo is a frequent lecturer on Surrogate s Court matters, and co-chaired the New York State Bar Association s 2014 program on Discovery Proceedings. He is an active member of the New York State Bar Association, where he serves on the Executive Committee and is Vice Chair of the Surrogate s Court Committee, and is a member of the New York City Bar s Trust, Estates and Surrogate s Court Committee. Angelo was honored as a Rising Star in the field of trusts & estate litigation in New York Super Lawyers in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Angelo graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2002, where he was an associate editor of the American Criminal Law Review, and was admitted to practice in New York in 2003. He received his B.A. from Columbia University in 1999, where he wrote his senior thesis on the history of American anarchism. Prior to joining Greenfield Stein & Senior, Angelo was a litigation associate at Cahill Gordon & Reindel, LLP, Mongelli, P.C., and Littman Krooks LLP. He joined Greenfield Stein & Senior in 2008, and became a member of the firm in 2016. Angelo resides in Westchester with his wife Hilary, daughter Zoë, and their bearded collie, Molly. 501
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MARTIN HERSH, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Martin Hersh is a sole practitioner with the Law Office of Martin Hersh, P.O. Box 567, 4 Asthalter Road, Liberty, New York 12754 (845) 292-9345. Marty is a longtime member of the New York State Bar Association, its Elder Law and Special Needs Section as well as the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He has been a member of the executive committee of the Elder Law and Special Needs Section for many years, and is currently the Chair-elect of the Section. Marty's practice is primarily in the area of Medicaid eligibility planning, estate planning, and estate/trust administration. 503
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ROBERT J. KURRE, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Robert J. Kurre, Esq. is the Partner-in-Charge of the firm s elder law practice and co-chair of its trusts and estates practice. A lifelong resident of Long Island, New York, Robert J. Kurre was admitted to the practice of law in New York State in 1991. Mr. Kurre has received an AV Preeminent Rating (highest rating in legal ability and ethical standards) from Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. Following significant employment experience with a New York City law firm recognized as one of the leading elder law and estate planning firms in the United States, Mr. Kurre started his own practice in 2001. In 2012, the law firms of Robert J. Kurre & Associates, P.C. and Levy & Schneps, P.C. merged to form Kurre Schneps LLP. Areas of Practice: Elder Law, Estate Planning and Administration, Estate and Trust Litigation, Guardianships, Planning for Elderly and Disabled Clients, Special Needs Planning Education: Hofstra University School of Law (J.D.) 1991 St. John s University (B.S.) 1988 Admissions: New York State Bar, 1991 United States District Court, Eastern District, 1991 United States District Court, Southern District, 1991 Certification: Certified Elder Law Attorney, National Elder Law Foundation (accredited by the American Bar Association) Awards and Professional Recognitions: The Best Lawyers in America, 2015, 2016. AV Martindale-Hubbell Preeminent Rating (highest rating in legal ability and ethical standards). New York Super Lawyer, 2007-2015. New York State Bar Association Elder Law Section Award for work as Vice Chairman of the Long Term Care Reform Committee whose January 2005 report served as the framework for innovative solutions to long term health care issues in New York. Council of Advanced Practitioners, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. 505
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ROBERT G. MCDERMOTT, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Robert G. McDermott is a Partner at McDermott, Pierro, Mandery & Mandery. Bob has over two decades of legal practice experience, in a variety of legal areas. Additionally, he has acted as a Financial Planner and Consultant since 1986. Bob is an Attorney and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) in private practice, with emphasis on general business, estate and related civil litigation, divorce and family law litigation, and estate, elder law and financial planning, and wills and trusts, Admissions: United States Supreme Court (2005), United States Court of Military Appeals (2005) United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (1996), New York Courts (1992), Connecticut Courts (1991) Education: Juris Doctor, St. John s University School of Law; Bachelor of Science, Magna Cum Laude, St. John s University; Certified Financial Planner Certification, Adelphi University. Professional Designations: Certified Financial Planner (CFP) (1986) Teaching / Lecturing: Current: Adjunct Professor of Business Law and Management at St. John s University, New York (1999- Present), Continuing Education Legal Lecturer (1996 Present). Guest Lecturer: Business Honors Program, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, New York (Fall 2015). Past: Trusts & Estates instructor for on-site Certified Financial Planner Education training programs for Financial Consultants at Merrill Lynch and Salomon Smith Barney for St. John s University and Pace University (NY). Practice Areas: Estate Planning, Estate Litigation, Guardianship & Elder Law, Civil & Business Litigation, Real Estate Litigation, Business Transactions, Divorce, Divorce Mediation & Family Law. Email: rmcdermott@mpmmlaw.com 507
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SARA MEYERS, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Ms. Meyers is a Member of the firm of Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, LLP, and concentrates her practice on Elder Law, Estate Planning, Special Needs Planning, Guardianships, and long term care planning strategies, with a focus on Medicaid home care and nursing home. She has been named to the 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016 New York Metro Super Lawyers list in Elder Law. Prior to Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, Ms. Meyers was a staff attorney at the Sadin Institute on Law of the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging and Longevity and the New York Legal Assistance Group. At Sadin, Sara concentrated on Medicaid, home care, and the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. She created materials and conducted training seminars for social service providers, attorneys, and social workers on topics including Elder Law, Medicaid, Medicare, home care, and Administrative Appeals. Ms. Meyers has authored Using SCPA Article 17-A and MHL Article 81 Guardianships for Disabled Children, New York State Bar Association, Senior Lawyer Section, The Senior Lawyer, Spring 2015; Medicaid Managed Long Term Care is Coming to Westchester. Are You and Your Clients Ready?, Westchester County Bar Newsletter, January 2013; Guardianships and Supplemental Needs Trusts (SNT) as planning tools for Parents of Adult Disabled Children, New York State Bar Association Elder Law and Special Needs Journal, Winter 2012; An Overview of Medicaid Home Care Options for Seniors, New York State Bar Association Elder Law Attorney, Winter 2010; Utilizing Medicaid Home Care as a Solution in a Post-DRA World, New York State Bar Association Elder Law Attorney, Summer 2007 and Westchester County Bar Newsletter, June 2007. Ms. Meyers coauthored with Anthony J. Enea The Doors Open Further for the Nursing Home without Walls Program, Westchester County Bar Newsletter, November 2007. Ms. Meyers is a frequent lecturer for Elder Law Programs sponsored by the New York State and Westchester County Bar Associations. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Elder Law and Special Needs Section (Executive Committee, vice-chair Guardianship Committee and 9 th District Delegate; Editor, Elder Law and Special Needs Journal) and Trust and Estates Section, and a member of the Westchester County Bar Association (past Co-Chair and Incoming Chair of the Elder Law Committee) and is an editor of the Westchester County Bar Journal. Ms. Meyers has a B.A. in History, cum laude, from Brandeis University and a J.D. from the Cardozo School of Law. She is also a volunteer attorney for Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. She is a Trustee of the Board of Directors of the Westchester Day School in Mamaroneck, New York. 509
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LOUIS W. PIERRO, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Louis W. Pierro is the founder and principal of Pierro, Connor & Associates, LLC, and concentrates his law practice in the areas of Estate Planning, Estate and Trust Administration, Business Succession Planning, Elder Law and Special Needs Planning. Mr. Pierro has been selected to the Best Lawyers in America, The Best Lawyers in New York, Super Lawyers of the Hudson Valley, Top 25 Lawyers in Upstate New York, NY Times Top Attorneys in NY, and he has maintained an AV preeminent rating from the Martindale-Hubbell since 2001. In addition, Mr. Pierro is Best Lawyers 2014 Lawyer of the Year in Elder Law for the Capital Region. He served as an adjunct professor at Siena College, where he lectured on Estate Planning from 1987-1995, and has lectured extensively on Estate Planning and Elder Law to professional groups across the country. Mr. Pierro has served as Chair of the Estate Planning Committee, and Committee on Taxation of the Trusts & Estates Section, and the Elder Law Section, of the NYS Bar Association, and he is currently a member of the Elder Law Section Executive Committee. He is founder and Director of Elder Counsel, a national organization of Elder Law and Special Needs law firms, which provides proprietary document drafting software and education to over 950 member firms in all 50 states. He is also President & CEO of Advocates Planning Group LLC, an attorney membership organization dedicated to providing a range of support services to attorneys who prepare and maintain sophisticated trust plans for clients, with a focus on Delaware law. He is currently a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys; the American Bar Association, Probate and Trust Section; the NYS Bar Association Trusts and Estates and Elder Law Sections; and the Albany County Bar Association (Chair, Elder Law Committee 1993-1998). He has served as a Director of the Estate Planning Council of Eastern New York, Inc.; Senior Services of Albany, Inc.; Alzheimer's Association of Northeast New York, Colonie Youth Center and McAuley Residence. A graduate of Lehigh University and Albany Law School, Mr. Pierro was admitted to the New York State Bar in January of 1984, and is licensed to practice in all New York State Courts, the US Supreme Court and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Specialties: Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, Wealth Planning & Preservation, Asset Protection, Charitable Planning, Business planning, Elder Law and Special Needs planning. Email: lpierro@pierrolaw.com 511
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PETER N. TRAVITSKY, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Peter N. Travitsky is a Staff Attorney with the Evelyn Frank Legal Resources Program (EFLRP) at New York Legal Assistance Group, where he provides direct representation on Medicaid eligibility and home care, as well as outreach and education to lay guardians of Incapacitated Persons and informal caregivers of individuals with cognitive impairments. Prior to law school, Peter was a Social Worker with United Neighbors, a community-based non-profit providing case management services to homebound seniors living on the East Side of Manhattan. He was also a part-time personal care aide to a senior living with dementia. Peter graduated from New York University (B.S. in Social Work 05; M.S.W. 06), and Brooklyn Law School (J.D. 14), where he was an Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Fellow and a Health Law and Policy Fellow. In the course of his legal education, Peter worked almost exclusively with older adults at EFLRP; AARP Foundation Litigation in Washington, D.C.; the Mental Hygiene Legal Service, First Department Guardianship Team; and Brooklyn Law School s Elder Rights Clinic. He joined EFLRP in 2014 as a Borchard Foundation Center on Law & Aging Fellow. 513
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GLENN WITECKI, ESQ. BIOGRAPHY Glenn Witecki did his undergraduate work at the Boston University School of Management (B.S.B.A magna cum laude), received a Master s Degree from the Philosophy Department at the University of Chicago and his J.D from Albany Law School. He has been practicing Law in Schenectady, NY since 1985, initially in the Criminal Defense Arena and for the past 25 years in Trusts and Estate, Elder Law and Real Estate. He has had a keen interest in Aid in Dying for the past 20 years, and has tracked its evolution around the globe and within the United States during that time. Glenn is Co Vice-Chair of the Health Care Committee of the NYSBA Elder Law and Special Needs Section; and a Member of the Board of the Shenendehowa Senior Center in Clifton Park, New York as well as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Schenectady County Community College. This is Glenn s second presentation under the auspices of NYSBA, having previously spoken on the topic of Powers of Attorney in the Advanced Elder Law context. He has given a number of presentations to various senior centers and retirement groups, and provides courtesy consultations for seniors at the Shenendehowa Senior Center on a monthly basis. For fun, Glenn enjoys woodworking and wordsmithing. 515
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