Issues Concerning Special Needs Trusts

Craig Frankel, Kristen Lewis, Fontaine Lee, Kathy Keeley, Adam Gaslowitz

On this episode of “Wealth Matters“, attorneys Adam Gaslowitz and Craig Frankel discuss issues concerning special needs individuals with guests Kristen Lewis, an expert on special needs trust planning; Kathy Keeley, the Executive Director of All About Developmental Disabilities (AADD); and Fontaine Lee, Vice President of Cumberland Trust.

The panel will discuss information relating to special needs trust planning and helping families understand their individual roles in a special needs trust.

Kristen Lewis/Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP

Kristen M. Lewis practices law in Atlanta, GA with Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and is a nationally recognized expert on “Special Needs Trust” planning for persons challenged by disabilities. She is an active member of the Special Needs Alliance, the Academy of Special Needs Planners, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the American Bar Association, the New York Bar Association Elder Law Section, the State Bar of Georgia Fiduciary Law Section, and the Georgia Planned Giving Council. She recently completed her tenure as Co-Chair of the Long-Term Care, Medicaid and Special Needs Trusts Committee of the Elder Law, Disability Planning and Bioethics Group of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the ABA. In her free time, she trains certified service dogs for Canine Assistants based in Milton, GA.

Ms. Lewis received her B.A. degree in French and political science, with highest honors, from Wellesley College in 1981. She earned her J.D. degree from Cornell Law School in 1984. She is admitted to practice law in both New York and Georgia.

Ms. Lewis co-authored an article entitled “Top 15 Tips for Estate Planners When Planning for Special Needs”, published in Probate & Property, Volume 24, Number 2, March/April 2010, which won the magazine’s 2010 Excellence in Writing Award for “Best Overall Article – Trusts & Estates”. She most recently authored an article entitled “The Crime of the 21^st Century: Financial Abuse of Elders” which was published in Probate & Property, Volume 28, Number 4, July/August 2014.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/kristen-lewis/22/901/32

Company LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/27889

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sgrlaw

Kathy Keeley/All About Developmental Disabilities

Kathy Keeley is the Executive Director of All About Developmental Disabilities (AADD) which focuses on creating a meaningful life for individuals with developmental disabilities through family support, employment and community engagement. Prior to joining AADD, she had her own consulting firm providing strategic planning and business planning to large cities and nonprofits throughout the U.S. She is a social entrepreneur having started the first loan fund for women-owned businesses in the U.S. and the first micro-enterprise association of lenders. She is the former Chief of Staff for a Mayor, launched the Calvert Foundation, and provided technical assistance in nearly 30 counties on economic and business development. Keeley came to AADD to jump off Delta flights and make an impact in her home community with a focus on restructuring one of the longest serving nonprofits focused on developmental disabilities in Georgia.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllAboutDevelopmentalDisabilities

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AADDorg

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aadd

Fontaine Lee/Cumberland Trust & Investment Company

Fontaine Lee is currently the Vice President and Business Development Officer with Cumberland Trust & Investment Company, an independent trust company with headquarters in Nashville, TN. She opened the Atlanta office for Cumberland in the Fall of 2010 and is responsible for business development in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. Fontaine began her career at Citigroup in Institutional Fixed Income Sales and Trading where she focused on tax-exempt offerings. After receiving her M.B.A from Emory University, she transitioned from capital markets into private wealth management. Since that time, she has held business development roles at Atlanta-based Reliance Trust and with a multi-family office. Fontaine also spent two years at the Coca-Cola Company working in marketing research.

A native of Atlanta, Fontaine is actively involved with the Atlanta Vanderbilt Club and is a graduate of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation Destiny Fund program, and co-authored the L.E.A.D. program for Leadership Atlanta. She sits on the board for the Agape You and Family Center and is on the Marketing and Development Committee for Whitefoord, Inc. She has also served as a board member for Executive Women of Goizueta, the women’s alumni organization for the Goizueta Business School. In addition to her M.B.A., Fontaine has a B.A. from Vanderbilt University.

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/fontaine-mcdaniel-lee/0/381/1a9

About Gaslowitz Frankel:

Gaslowitz Frankel LLC is an experienced trial practice firm specializing in all aspects of complex fiduciary litigation, representing individuals, companies, banks, and fiduciaries in will, trust, and estate disputes; investor and financial advisor disputes; shareholder/partnership disputes; contract disputes; complex commercial disputes; and appeals.