Fall Summit 2025: Accountability in Action

The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys (the “Academy”) recently held its annual Fall Summit in its home city of San Diego. San Diego offers plenty of activities for Members and Member guests alike and boasts incredible weather as well as numerous eateries. We stayed at the Catamaran Resort and Spa, and I know I’m not the only one who was enthralled by the wildlife interaction there.  Each Summit holds unique experiences for me, both professionally and personally.  This one was no different.  My children joined me on this westward adventure and despite my hectic schedule, they begged to return next year. Their enthusiasm for returning to San Diego mirrored that of our Members for Summit – it’s not the location, it’s the community feeling that makes the Summits so meaningful. No matter where we gather, we genuinely enjoy being together.

This year’s Fall Summit ran on a different schedule than usual and began with our combined Peak classes.  Academy Members desiring to take their practice to the next level participate in an executive coaching program with Academy founders, Robert Armstrong and Sanford M. Fisch. Following Peak, the Academy’s sister company, American Academy Wealth, hosted a pre-Summit session for its Members to review their 5-meeting system and refine their consultation skills. By Thursday afternoon, the official “open” of Summit began, with many of our Members already deep in “Summit mode.”  As always, Robert and Sandy opened the conference with an inspired talk, welcoming us to purposeful action. As part of that talk, we bid farewell to two Academy staff who embodied purposeful action during their respective tenures here:  Randy Harwick and Donna Hooper-Harwick.  They will retire at the end of this year, but their impact on the Academy will continue for years to come.  Our Members hung on every word of the opening presentation and that set the tone for the entire conference. One big takeaway from that presentation was that lessons reappear until learned.

I snuck a few moments in with our keynote speaker, Dr. Alan R. Zimmerman, prior to his presentation.  In our short time together, he impressed me with his demeanor and knowledge of the Academy.  He did his homework and asked me questions that demonstrated he was ready for our Members. Dr. Zimmerman had a commanding stage presence and talked in a way that resonated with our Members.  This was the first time that I recall having such an interactive keynote speaker.  We participated in an experiment that showed us the power of thought alone. Dr. Zimmerman captivated our Members with his impactful message. Night one ended with a cocktail party overlooking the Bay.  Despite the cooler weather, good food, libations, and stimulating conversation kept us warm.

After the first day, the Academy Summit shifted its focus on learning. The Academy requires its Members to earn 36 hours of Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) in Estate Planning, Tax, Elder Law, and Ethics. The Academy’s rigorous continuing education requirement ensures that Members know and understand the latest developments in these fields. Many Members earn significant hours at the two semi-annual Summit conferences each year at which they can create their ideal schedule by choosing sessions on marketing, practice management, technology, or education.

Day two began with Stephanie Loomis-Price discussing ways to “Stay Out of the Rain” by exploring the breadth of privilege umbrellas in Estate Planning.  Stephanie fielded numerous questions from our Members, like the professional litigator that she is, and later commented that she found our Members a delight!  The feeling was mutual and I suspect that she will grace another Summit stage in the future.  Next we learned about cybersecurity realities for Estate Planning attorneys in a session led by Anthony Polselli, of Natural Networks, one of the Academy’s many strategic partnerships. In the afternoon, a panel of expert speakers discussed Special Needs Trusts.  The remainder of day two sessions focused on practice management and marketing, allowing Members and their staff to round out their learning with strategies to enhance their firm’s growth and efficiency.

I had the distinct pleasure of being the lone education speaker on Saturday presenting on the One Big Beautiful Bill and the implications for Estate Planning. That sweeping legislation changed the landscape for income, estate, and gift tax planning. Our Members heard the changes the bill made, along with suggestions for helping their clients take advantage of some of the new provisions.

Sunday marked the close of the conference with a heavy dose of education.  I started the morning talking about powers of appointment and fielded questions from our Members regarding real-life scenarios.  To wrap up Fall Summit 2025, I led a session on Gift Tax Returns and the New Form 709 and how to navigate them effectively. Members can access these presentations and much more on the Members Only Site.

I thought that by Sunday afternoon both I and the Members would be out of steam, but the optional training proved that theory wrong!   A number of Members stayed for that training which focused on getting back to the basics of Estate Planning. The volume of questions and continued Member interaction energized me. We ran out of time before we could finish  the discussion, so for the lucky ones that stayed, I’ll be offering a follow-up presentation soon to finish that conversation.

Fall Summit 2025 was everything that you want in a conference. It was more than just the phenomenal programming and attention to detail that made the conference successful. It was the Members themselves who make the Academy everything that it is. It is the conversations in the hallways and the feeling that everyone there wants everyone else there to succeed and is willing to go above and beyond to make it happen. It’s the culture of collaboration and inclusivity, a place where no one gets left behind, and every Member knows that every member of the Academy Team has their back. The Academy encourages Members to employ this mentality in their own firms and it is obvious that our Members take those lessons to heart. The Academy provides the tools necessary to achieve this goal by delivering programming on developing Estate Planning techniques and coaching on practice management designed to put client needs first. Be sure that you have the resources to adapt to changes in Estate Planning while maintaining excellent client relations. Academy Members do.

Tereina Stidd, J.D., LL.M.
Director of Education
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com