Williamsburg, home of William and Mary… and amazing golf courses. Kings Mill and The Golden Horseshoe courses got the same rave reviews as the Academy Summit did!
When 125 elder law and estate planning law firms get together each Spring, the energy is difficult to describe. With Academy Members from all over the country catching up with attorneys they consider close friends – the conversation in the hallway is exciting.
On Thursday, the Summit opened with announcements about new training available for Elder Law. Looking at Elder Law or Medicaid services as a slice of the estate planning that should be discussed with clients – rather than a separate service, was a wonderful conversation.
Friday delivered “Success Stories” from around the country ranging from how Steve Mendel’s firm in Houston went from 49 fans on Facebook to 1,332 fans in the past 6 months all the way to how Brad Anderson’s Reno law firm treats the 550 clients that subscribe to his estate planning maintenance program. We also spent lunch that day with the law firms who submitted their financials for 2011 and discussed the benchmarks and some statistics we see in the areas of marketing expenses, staffing costs and revenue in specific areas across the country. It’s exciting to see the growth of so many firms over the years!
Saturday the Sudden Death or Disability session was a hit along with a number of other substantive topics… ending the day with a wonderful roundtable of about 8 or 9 Members discussing how they handle Elder Law cases in their practice. The Sunday sessions featured a guest speaker on the topic of Elder Law Abuse as well as the topic of Do Over – Reforming Trusts: Decanting, Reformation, and Other Ways to Modify the Irrevocable.
The social event was something out of a MOVIE on the beautiful grounds of the Colonial Inn and Lodge (my favorite that evening was the conversation and of course the Virginia ham and pecan pie).
This behind us leaves us happily exhausted and back at the office starting to layout our next big event which is in San Diego on October 4th through the 7th. Feel free to mark your calendars now if you missed this event!
Jennifer Price
Director, Member Services, Marketing & Recruiting
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com
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