Probate & Estate Planning Conference for Alabama Attorneys

Coming to Birmingham on Thursday and Friday, May 9-10, 2019

Attend this two-day satisfaction-guaranteed event and enhance your professional skill set while gaining up to 12 hours of CLE, including 1 hour of Ethics. Perfect for your busy schedule, you can choose to attend Day 1 only, Day 2 only, or the full event.

This program features a faculty of leading attorneys, explaining the very latest developments in Probate and Estate Planning in Alabama.

Get up to date on the hottest issues in Alabama Probate and Estate Planning Law like:

• Using technology to help you prove your case and better manage your practice 
• Navigating probate issues
• Practical pointers to use when drafting wills 
• Elder law 
• Effective use of trusts, drafting trusts, and considerations for grantor trusts 
• Common issues in will contests 
• Other timely topics relevant to your practice
• Effectively communicating with your clients 
• Avoiding disasters – experiences from that you can learn from 
• Plus, you can earn ALL your annual CLE credit, including one hour of ethics, in just two days!

Agenda

Day 1 — Thursday, May 9, 2019

8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
Hot Topics in Probate & Estate – What You Need to Know for Competent Representation
Shannon Dye
Carney Dye
Join this session for a fast-paced review of the biggest changes in the practice of Alabama probate and estate planning, with use-them-now tips for saving time, working efficiently, and avoiding expensive errors. This session will cover:

• Digital Assets
• Drafting Wills
• Estate Administration
• Probating a Will
• Small Estates
• Guardian Ad Litem
• Conservatorships
• And more!

9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Ethical Considerations in Estate Planning
Sid Summey
White Arnold Dowd

How can delegation of estate management duties get you into ethical trouble? When do you have fiduciary responsibilities? Earn valuable ethics CLE credit as you learn how to avoid the pitfalls that await the unwary probate and estate planning attorney.  Covered topics will include:

• Defining Who Your Client Is from the Start 
• Handling Clients with Diminishing Mental Capacity 
• Lawyers Acting as Fiduciaries 
• How and Why to Provide Estate Status Updates for Clients 
• Billable/Non-Billable Hour and Retainer Agreements 
• Preventing Unauthorized Practice of Law by Staff 

10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
MORNING BREAK

11:00 a.m. to 12:15 a.m.
Special Needs Trusts
Melanie Bradford Holliman
Bradford & Holliman, LLC             

Use this session to review the procedural best practices when setting up and managing special needs trusts in Alabama. In just one hour, you'll get up to speed on:

• How to Identify Situations and Issues When You Should Mention a Special Needs Trust to Your Client or to the Court 
• First Party Special Needs Trusts 
• Under Age 65 Trust 
• Pooled Trust 
• Qualified Income Trust Allowed by Alabama Medicaid 
• Third Party Special Needs Trust 
• Various Requirements for Each Type of Special Needs Trust 
• General "Dos and Don'ts" 

12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Lunch (Not provided)

1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
How to Use an LLC in Alabama to Protect Estate Assets
Herbert “Chip” Browder
David Wellborn
Browder & Welborn, LLC

Have you considered using an LLC to protect your clients’ estate assets? If not, you may be missing an important tool in estate planning. A LLC and its series protects client assets for the benefit of the members from future, unanticipated, contingencies and risks (such as litigation involving individual family members) that could jeopardize ownership if held individually. In this session, Mr. Browder will explain: 

• Avoiding the negative implications 
• Single vs. multi-member LLC 
• How to use series LLC in estate planning 
• Enforceability of liabilities of series against assets 

2:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
AFTERNOON BREAK

3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Retirement Accounts Payable to Trusts
Nancy Ball
Cabaniss, Johnston, Gardner, Dumas & O’Neal, LLP

This session will cover:

• Understanding the Required Minimum Distribution Rules Generally and in the Context of Trust Beneficiaries
• What Is a See-Through Trust?
• How to Engage in Estate Planning with Retirement Benefits and Issues to Consider

Day 2 — Friday, May 10, 2019

8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
How to Open the Estate: First Steps and Filing
Carmella Penn
Attorney at Law

This session will cover:

• Client Interview and Information Gathering
• Finding and Reviewing the Will
• The Petition and Notice to Beneficiaries
• Educating the Personal Representative
• Giving Notice to Creditors
• Sample Forms and Checklists

9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Medicaid Estate Recovery: Shielding Client Assets
Clayton Davis
Davis & Associates

Medicaid enrollment is expected to increase by 9 million next year, and the government is aggressively pursuing recovery from estates. Arm yourself with essential information and strategies to protect your clients’ assets. Topics will include:

• Medicaid Liens
• Medicaid Estate Recovery
• Exempt Payments
• And More

11:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
MORNING BREAK

11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Helpful Checklists for Probate Litigation
Peter Wright
Sirote & Permutt, PC

Where there's a will, there's often a war. As an Alabama attorney, are you fully armed for a probate fight? Procedural rules in probate litigation can be confusing, so we’ll help you become more comfortable handling a settlement or contesting a will. In this session, you’ll learn best practices when litigating in probate court.

12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Lunch (Not provided)

1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Basics of Will Drafting
Thad Davis
Davis & Davis

This session will cover:

• Checklist for Gathering Client Information 
• The Statutory ABCs: What Is Required? 
• Methods of Designating Fiduciaries 
• Disinheritance and No Contest Clauses – Will They Stand? 
• Protective Clauses for Minors, Incompetent Persons and Beneficiaries with Special Needs 
• Building Flexibility into the Plan – Checklist of Special Provisions 
• Practical Pointers with Sample Forms

3:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
AFTERNOON BREAK

3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
How to Handle Taxes
Tanya Shunnara
Sirote & Permutt, P.C.

This session will cover:

• Current Tax Laws, Rates and Exemptions
• Tax Issues, Filing Requirements and Deadlines
• Post-Mortem Tax Planning - Basic Tips
• Preparing the Decedent's Final Income Tax Return(s)
• Income Tax Returns for the Estate
• Estate, Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer Taxes
• Sample Tax Forms

Your Distinguished Faculty

Nancy Williams Ball, Cabaniss, Johnston, Gardner, Dumas & O'Neal LLP

Herbert E. (Chip) Browder, Browder & Welborn, LLC

Clayton Davis, Davis & Associates

Thad Davis, Davis & Davis

Shannon Dye, Carney Dye, LLC

Melanie Bradford Holliman, Bradford & Holliman, LLC

Carmella Penn, Attorney at Law

Sidney C. Summey, White Arnold & Dowd, P.C.

Tanya Shunnara, Sirote & Permutt, P.C.

David B. Welborn, Browder & Welborn, LLC, Tuscaloosa

Peter Wright, Sirote & Permutt, P.C.

Location

WHEN
Thursday & Friday, May 9-10, 2019
Registration: 8:00 a.m.
Conference: 8:30 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.
(There will be morning and afternoon breaks each day, and attendees will have 1 hour and 15 minutes for lunch on their own.)

WHERE:
Holiday Inn Hoover
2901 John Hawkins Pkwy
Hoover, AL 35244
205-985-9994
Hotel Website

PRICING:

• $497 for Full Program
• $427 for Additional Attendees from the same firm
• $347 for Day 1 only
• $347 for Day 2 only
• $247 for Materials
• Early Bird: $50 off until April 1!