The conference includes topics of interest and legislative updates for lawyers, social workers, students, academicians, and those interested in elder care issues. The morning session begins with a panel discussion on Sources of Legal Assistance for the Elderly. The panel includes Catherine V. Kilgore, Esq., Elder Law Project Director for North Mississippi Rural Legal Services (NMRLS), Amanda Glover Evans, Esq., who is the Director of the NMRLS Mississippi Taxpayer Assistance Project, a Low Income Taxpayer Assistance Project (LITC); La’Verne Edney, Esq., General Counsel of the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project; and Jeremy Eisler, Esq., Statewide Director of Litigation for the Mississippi Legal Services Programs. The next session will be Consumer Protection Issues Affecting the Elderly, a panel discussion with Jeremy Eisler, Esq., and NMRLS attorneys, Ruby White, Esq., Director of Litigation, and Alsee McDaniel, Esq., Managing Attorney for the Greenville Office. This session provides information on current consumer and housing issues. The next session, Yes, You Can! - Positive Solutions for Older Adults and Persons With Disabilities, will be presented by Richard A. Courtney, Esq., CELA. This session will correct some common myths and misconceptions about assets ownership and protection and healthcare financing, including Medicare and Medicaid. The session will describe certain essential estate planning actions for seniors and their families. Mr. Courtney, who is a partner in the Jackson, MS, law firm of Frascogna Courtney, PLLC, is a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the ABA-accredited National Elder Law Foundation. His practice is limited to elder law, estate planning, trusts and trust administration, special needs planning for persons with disabilities, disability law, guardianship, and litigation and advocacy related to these areas. He is a former Assistant Dean and current Adjunct Professor of Elder Law at the Mississippi College School of Law.

LUNCHEON: All conferees are invited to a luncheon on the first floor of the Law Center. Entertainment during the lunch hour will include an unnamed guest with a different approach to family discussions on end of life issues.

After lunch, Rick Courtney will continue with a Medicare update on a panel discussion in the next session on the topic, How Health Care Reform is Affecting Medicare and Medicaid. Betty Williams, the Deputy Director of Enrollment with the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, whose area of responsibilities includes the eligibility program for Medicaid and CHIP certified by 30 regional offices in the State, will serve on the panel to address the aspects of Health Care Reform that affect Medicaid. Next, a presentation will be made on The Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution to Solve Issues Involving Senior Citizens, by Barry K. Jones, Esq., LL.M. in Taxation, C.P.A., and Accredited Estate Planner. He practices with the Jackson, Mississippi law firm of Wise, Carter, Child, & Caraway, in the areas of state and federal taxation, business law, employee benefits, estate planning, asset protection planning, health law, and elder law. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Mississippi School of Law, and he has lectured extensively on topics related to his areas of practice. The afternoon session will end with a session on Ethics in Elder Law: Practical Solutions for Attorneys and Social Workers, by T.H. Freeland IV, Esq. of Oxford, an attorney with extensive trial and appellate experience in a wide range of cases. He brings a wealth of practical experience to the conference on a topic of upmost importance to professionals serving the frail and elderly population in Mississippi. This session will include a discussion on ethical issues facing lawyers and social workers in their daily practice.

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