Elder Law Section
Annual Report
2019-2020
Section Membership
As of June 18, 2020, the Section has 473 members.
Financial Status
The Section had an account balance of $14,833.06 as of April 30, 2020.
CLEs & Events
The Section hosted 8 events in fiscal year 2019-20.
Program Title | Date | Event Code | CLE Credits | Number of Attendees |
WEBINAR | Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Fuss - Part 2 | 07/16/2020 | 309420 | 1.0 Standard | 23 |
WEBINAR | Medical Assistance for Home and Community - Based Services | 06/18/2020 | 291128 | 1.0 Standard | 91 |
WEBINAR | Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Fuss | 05/21/2020 | 304488 | 1.0 Standard | 85 |
WEBINAR | Emerging Issues in Long-Term Care | 04/23/2020 | 298710 | 3.0 Standard | 94 |
Cultural Conflict in Elder Care Facilities and the Need for Cultural Competency in Elder Law | 01/16/2020 | 282942 | 1.5 Elimination of Bias | 44 |
Guardianship Mediation - A Dispute Resolution Option | 11/19/2019 | 281273 | 1.0 Standard | 59 |
Six Takeaways from the 2019 Minnesota Elder Law Institute | 10/22/2019 | 280421 | 1.0 Standard | 26 |
Dialogue with the Minnesota Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility on Sticky Issues facing Elder Law Attorneys | 09/19/2019 | 278357 | 1.5 Ethics | 52 |
Annual Meeting and Election Results
The Section’s Annual Meeting was held on June 19, 2020 by teleconference.
The following council members were elected to serve on the Section’s Governing Council from 7/1/2020 to 6/30/2022:
- Jack Austin
- Mary Ebb
- Emily Flesch
- Amber M. Hildebrandt
- Maya Missaghi
- Laura Orr
- Marit Peterson
- Mary Frances Price
- Cathryn Reher
- Bridget Reischl
- Suzanne Sandahl
- Suzanne Scheller
- Traci Sherman
- Jennifer Wright
- Ruthann Vos
The following council members will continue council membership during the second year of their two-year terms, which end June 30, 2021:
- Callyn Bedker
- SaRoi Brown
- Lauren Fink
- Brenna Galvin
- Jean Gustafson
- John Kantke
- Jill Sauber
- Jeffrey Schmidt
- Joel Smith
- Lucas Spaeth
- Daniel Steinhagen
- Laura Zdychnec
- Julian Zweber
The following section members who are law students were elected to serve as associate (student) members of the council:
The following officers were elected to serve on the Section’s Governing Council from 7/1/2020 to 6/30/2021:
- Chair – Jack Austin
- Vice Chair – Amber M. Hildebrandt
- Secretary – Jennifer Wright
- Treasurer – Jill Sauber
Diversity and Inclusion
The Diversity Committee of the Elder Law Section has submitted an annual report, which is available in the Section Community. In summary, the Committee provided an Elimination of Bias CLE in January of 2020. Additionally, 4 diversity events were advertised throughout the year to Section members. Although a National Health Care Decisions Day clinic had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, the Section hopes to host this event in future years. The Diversity Committee also welcomed two new members, and began an informal partnership with the Ramsey County Bar Association Diversity Committee.
Other Section Accomplishments
This year saw our Section members challenged by the impactful variable of COVID-19 and members rose to the occasion, sharing resources with one another and supporting clients, families and communities through the onset of this pandemic. This work is ongoing, as the novel coronavirus continues to find footholds among the most vulnerable of our clients. The section offered comments and reflection on legislative proposals drafted in response to COVID-19 both by the MSBA and by others, and rapidly adapted to changing circumstances in courts and in the patterns of our practice. Maintaining high standards of practice throughout this crisis, and continuing to diligently serve older adults and their families so profoundly impacted by COVID-19 is a tremendous accomplishment of the Section’s members in 2020.
In addition, the section continued to review structural efficiency and committee functions on the Governing Council. The number of standing committees was reduced, and a review of bylaws is ongoing. For additional information regarding details of committee activities, please see annual reports from Advocacy Support, Legislative and Education Committees available in the Section Community.
Submitted By:
Marit Peterson, Section Chair
Date 6/29/2020