Elder Law Section
Annual Report
2021-2022
Section Membership
As of June 15, 2022 the Section has 465 members.
Financial Status
The Section had an account balance of $25,173.78 as of April 30, 2022.
CLEs & Events
The Section hosted 12 events in fiscal year 2021-22.
| Program Title | Date | Event Code | CLE Credits | Attendees | Virtual/ In-person/ Hybrid |
| Elder Law 101 | Planning for Aging Clients - The Intersection of Elder Law and Estate Planning | 06/16/2022 | 458702 | 1.0 Standard | 64 | Virtual |
| Palliative Care, Hospice and End of Life Choices | 06/07/2022 | 457318 | 1.5 Standard | 79 | Virtual |
| The Nuts and Bolts of Medicare Appeals - Parts A & B, Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Medicare Prescription Drugs (Part D) | 05/13/2022 | 450939 | 1.5 Standard | 54 | Virtual |
| Emerging Issues in Long-Term Care | 04/21/2022 | 449574 | 2.0 Standard | 78 | Virtual |
| Elder Law 101 | Intake and Medical Assistance Issue Spotting | 03/17/2022 | 447040 | 1.0 Standard | 57 | Virtual |
| Elder Law 101 | Medical Assistance Basics | 02/17/2022 | 443669 | 1.0 Standard | 65 | Virtual |
| Elder Law 101 | Will contests---Practical steps from initial contact to trial | 01/20/2022 | 438431 | 1.0 Standard | 46 | Virtual |
| Proposed Changes to the Minnesota Veterans Homes Administrative Rules | 01/11/2022 | 433083 | 1.0 Standard | 42 | Virtual |
| Elder Law 101| Special Needs Trusts – The Basics | 12/16/2021 | 427993 | 1.0 Standard | 48 | Virtual |
| Elder Law 101 | Contested Guardianships and Conservatorships | 11/18/2021 | 422315 | 1.0 Standard | 61 | Virtual |
| Elder Law 101 | Emotional Aspects of Guardianship and Conservatorships | 10/21/2021 | 412285 | 1.0 Standard | 36 | Virtual |
| Elder Law 101 | Introduction to Estate Planning and Elder Law Planning Impacting Solo Older Adults | 09/16/2021 | 402882 | 1.0 Elimination of Bias | 77 | Virtual |
Annual Meeting and Election Results
The Section’s Annual Meeting was held on June 24, 2022 and 26 people attended.
The following council members were elected to serve on the Section’s Governing Council from 7/1/2022 to 6/30/2024:
- Amber Hildebrandt
- John Austin
- Laura Orr
- Marit Peterson
- Mary Frances Price
- Cathryn Reher
- Bridget-Michaele Reischl
- Suzanne Scheller
- Traci Sherman
- Ruthanne Vos
- Maya Missaghi
- Kate Graham
- Bobbi Hermanson-Albers
- Lori McLaughlin
- Margaret M. Cook
- Christy DePasquale
The following council members are serving the second year of their 2-year term from 7/1/2021 to 6/30/2023:
- Callyn Bedker
- Jill Sauber
- Julian Zweber
- Alexus Anderson
- Joshua Damberg
- Gordon Solo
- Genevieve Gaboriault
- Joel Smith
- Lucas Spaeth
- Daniel Steinhagen
- Lauren Fink
- Brenna Galvin
- John Kantke
The following officers were elected to serve on the Section’s Governing Council from 7/1/2022 to 6/30/2023:
- Chair – Callyn Bedker
- Vice Chair – Lauren Fink
- Treasurer – Jill Sauber
- Secretary – Genevieve Gaboriault
Thank-you to the following outgoing council members:
- Jennifer Wright
- Suzanne Sandahl
- Mary Ebb
- Emily Weichsel – will continue to serve as Pro Bono Committee Chair
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
This year, the Education Committee and Diversity Committee sections merged into one committee. Some of the CLEs presented focused on issues involving veterans, single elderly clients, and special needs clients.
Other Section Accomplishments
The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) attempted to promulgate rules with severe negative impacts on Minnesota veterans without seeking any input from interested stakeholders, including the Elder Law Section of the Minnesota Bar Association. Several members of the Elder Law Section provided testimony at the MDVA hearing, filed letters noting the issues with the proposed rules, and the Section Chair filed an affidavit regarding the lack of input sought by MDVA in the rule making process.
Submitted By:
Amber M. Hildebrandt, Section Chair
Date 6/28/22