Event Overview
Thursday, January 15, 2026
1:30 PM – 6:00 PM – CLE Program
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM – Off-Site Reception
Join us for a two-credit, four-part, Annual Update, addressing Medicaid and Elder Law updates, Special Needs Planning updates, Tax Law updates, and Legislative and Case Law updates. Medicaid Liens and Recovery will cover a credit and a half, recapping federal and state law and regulations, with suggested best practices for client interaction on this important issue. Our final one credit session, Compassionate Communication, discusses how attorneys can approach conversations with clients who may have experienced trauma with compassion, building a transformative, productive and meaningful professional relationship with the client.
Highlights and Objectives:
- It will be a wide ranging program reflecting the breadth of practice areas and experience in the dispute resolution and prevention field.
Elder Law & Special Needs Section Chair:
Richard A. Marchese, Jr., Esq., Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP
Program Chair:
JulieAnn Calareso, Esq, Gleason Dunn Walsh & O’Shea
Amy C. O’Hara, Esq, Littman Krooks LLP
Elder Law and Special Need Section 2026 Annual Meeting
New York State Bar Association 2026 Annual Meeting
Elder Law and Special Needs Law Section
New York Hilton Midtown
1335 6th Avenue (between 53rd & 54th Streets), New York, NY 10019
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Elder Law and Special Needs Section Business Meeting & 2026 Awards Ceremony 1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Trianon Ballroom, Third Floor
CLE Program: 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Trianon Ballroom, Third Floor
Exhibitor Gallery: 1:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Petit Trianon, Third Floor
4.5 MCLE Credits: 2.0 Areas of Professional Practice, 1.0 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, 1.5 Skills
Co-Chairs:
JulieAnn Calareso, Esq.
Gleason, Dunn, Walsh & O’Shea; Albany, NY
Amy C. O’Hara
CELA Littman Krooks LLP; Rye Brook, NY
This program is transitional and is suitable for all attorneys including those newly admitted.
1:30 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.
Introduction: Business Meeting & Awards Ceremony
Elder Law and Special Needs Section Chair: Richard A. Marchese, Jr., Esq. Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP Rochester, NY
1:55 p.m. – 3:35 p.m
I. Elder Law and Special Needs Update Medicaid Update
Speaker
Tammy Lawlor, Esq. | Miller & Milone, PC
Special Needs Planning Update
Speaker
Cora A. Alsante, Esq. | Hancock Estabrook LLP
Tax Update
Speaker
Lorese Phillips, Esq. | Lorese Phillips, Attorney at Law
2.0 MCLE Credits in Areas of Professional Practice3:35 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.
Exhibitor Break
3:55 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
II. Clients & Trauma Serving Through Compassionate Communication
As attorneys develop their communication and client counseling skills, understanding that a client may have experienced or may currently be experiencing trauma can transform the way attorneys provide legal advice, advocate for clients in court, build relationships and manage their practices. Clients who have suffered physical, psychological and emotional trauma interact with the legal system differently than those who have not. As we focus on equity in the legal system and inclusiveness in providing legal representation, this session will teach attorneys how to approach conversations with compassion, recognize potential triggers, and respond when clients struggle to express themselves. By learning to understand what clients may have experienced and to ask questions in trauma informed ways including reading their nonverbal cues, attorneys can learn how to better support families in crisis.
Speaker
Fredric I. Green, Esq. | Second Deputy District Attorney, Special Counsel to the Westchester County District Attorney
1.0 MCLE Credit in Diversity Equity & Inclusion4:45 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
III. How to Navigate Medicaid Liens and Recoveries
This presentation will provide a comprehensive analysis of Medicaid estate recovery and its related recovery mechanisms, including how and when recovery is triggered, the role of HMS, proper handling of the post-death questionnaire, and the exceptions that can limit or avoid recovery. We will explore best practices for attorneys in advising Medicaid applicants, agents under a POA, and estate fiduciaries regarding potential recovery exposure and their legal obligations. The presentation will clarify the often-misunderstood rules concerning recovery from the estate of a surviving spouse and a spouse who signed a spousal refusal, Medicaid real property liens, and enforcement limitations when counties do not perfect or assert their claims
Speaker
Kelly R. Gusmano, Esq. | Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP
1.5 MCLE Credits in Skills6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The Elder Law and Special Needs Section CLE Reception
3 West Club 3 West 51st Street (at 5th Avenue), New York, 10019 Cost: $95.00 Preregistration is required to attend the reception. Please be sure to add the reception as part of your event registration if you plan to attend.
General Registration Fee
Required for all Annual Meeting attendees.
| NYSBA Members | $250 |
| Non-members | $395 |
+plus…
$195 Program Registration Fee
Thank You to our Sponsors!
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