section update
Estate Planning & Probate Section
By Roger Kirschenbaum
Roger Kirschenbaum, PC
[email protected]
S
o far this year the Estate Planning & Probate Section
has been able to manage our monthly breakfast
meetings without the interruption of a snowstorm. As
Chair of the Section I am going to take credit for the weather.
Actually, as my year as Chair continues I want this report to
reflect on the vitality of the Section membership. Despite
changes away from an emphasis on estate and transfer
tax matters, or perhaps because of it, this area of law still
prospers. The Section membership remains at roughly the
same level it has for the past several years. While I would
like to see more attendees at the monthly breakfasts, I have
noted that there are a high number of younger lawyers in
attendance looking to learn more about the profession and
how to grow their practices. Section members routinely
volunteer for the Probate Information Centers in both Fulton
County and DeKalb County as part of the mission
of serving the public interest.
This will be an evolving area as the law tries to keep up with
changes in reproductive technology, and defining members
of a family to determine rights to wealth transfer. In February,
Joe Kingma made us focus on the real world of dangers in the
practice of law and the exposures we face as potential targets
of malpractice claims. We look forward to Sam Donaldson of
Georgia State making his presentation in March. It was the
snowstorm last year that canceled Sam’s presentation New
Paradigms in Marital Planning, so for March this will change
to the Slightly Older New Paradigms in Marital Planning.
Finally, while this report will be published after the February 19
social event of the Elder Section, Tax Section, Estate Planning
& Probate Section, and the Financial Planners Association,
I am going to call it an unqualified success (ok, unless it got
snowed out).
The Board of the Section is an outstanding
collection of individuals who have made it easy
to be Chair. Katrenia Collins, as Vice Chair has
produced a schedule of speakers that has been
first rate in every sense. Shelly Donaldson, as
Treasurer has monitored the budget and overseen
the events so that we have not had any missteps.
Al Caproni, as Secretary has recorded meeting
minutes and taken responsibility for drafting some
key agreements for our activities. The remaining
Board members, Robert Turner (Past Chair), Craig
Frankel, Kay McMaster, Caroline Freeman, Jackie
Saylor, Tom Gould and Bruce Gaynes all have
greatly contributed to guiding the Section. Thanks
also goes to Karen English, Denisha Wise, and
Jessica Galusha of the Atlanta Bar for their help
and input for Section activities.
To give a report on the most recent breakfasts –
Associate Professor of Law at UGA, Lisa Milot
gave an extremely interesting presentation in
January on Planning for the Disposition of Frozen
Eggs, Sperm, and Embryos; and Addressing
Children Born from these Materials in Estate Plans.
32 THE ATLANTA LAWYER
March 2015
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association