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National special needs conference moves online
Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Elder Law hosted its
22nd National Conference on Special Needs Planning and
Special Needs Trusts. The annual event provides an in-depth
review of major issues presented in the creation, administration,
monitoring and planning of special needs trusts. This year’s
virtual conference attracted over 350 attendees to hear more than
60 industry authorities from all over the country speak during
the weeklong event. The conference is typically hosted at the
beautiful Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club
in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., and organizers hope the 23rd
annual conference will return there next year.
B R I E F S
Advice and expertise at new family guardian expo
Stetson Law was host to the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida
for a Family Guardianship Expo on Jan. 24, 2020. The event
was open to people who have been entrusted with the legal
responsibility of looking after a loved one because he or she cannot
manage his or her affairs.
Family guardians had a chance to learn more about their legal
duties, legal limitations, and the roles judges and magistrates play
in the process, as well as what paperwork they are required to
periodically file, such as an accounting of the ward’s finances.
Among the speakers were Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Pamela
Campbell, and a half-dozen experts in their respective fields,
including Jill Cicero, a training specialist with the Pinellas Clerk of
the Circuit Court, Stetson Professor Stacey-Rae Simcox, a specialist
in veterans’ benefits, Gerald Siebens, J.D. ’95 an attorney for the
Agency for Persons with Disabilities, and Travis Finchum, a lawyer
whose specialty is Social Security benefits.
Approximately 100 people attended the free event, and the hours
counted toward required education for guardians. It also included
a hall of exhibitors, such as Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas
Inc., the Florida Department of Children and Families, and
Guardianship Association of Pinellas County.
Higher Ed conference maintains tradition in new virtual
realm
Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and
Policy held its 42nd Annual National Conference on Law
& Higher Education virtually March 3-5, 2021. Higher
education experienced unprecedented disruption in 2020. From
the pandemic, lawsuits, and political and social upheaval, to
regulations, restructuring, social mistrust of higher education, and
shifting demographics – this year has certainly leveraged the skills
and talents of higher education and demonstrated its resilience.
The conference is designed to give professionals space to process
critical dimensions of law and policy issues facing institutions of
higher education. More than 450 people registered to hear nearly
30 industry authorities from all over the country speak during the
three-day event.
“The Center for Excellence successfully produced its first ever virtual
Annual National Conference. The Conference offered much needed
hope for the future of higher education and countless opportunities
to share our resilience as an industry in the face of an unforgettably
challenging year. The Conference will return to Clearwater Beach in
2022, stronger than ever,” said Peter F. Lake, director for the Center
for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy.
Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Pamela Campbell, J.D. ’89 speaks to the audience
during the 2020 Family Guardianship Expo.
Scott Bearby, vice president of Legal Affairs and General Counsel at NCAA,
spoke during the conference.
Leading special needs attorneys Robert Fechtman and Robert Flemming kept
the Florida spirit alive with festive attire despite presenting remotely during the
22nd National Conference on Special Needs Planning and Special Needs Trusts.