People don't like to contemplate their own deaths, but they do need to consider what will happen to their assets when they die. Tax issues, medical decisions, and a wide range of planning documents make the process even more complicated. But you can give your clients peace of mind by creating effective wills and trusts that carry out all of their wishes.

Order today to learn the fundamentals of preparing estate planning documents, including wills, trusts, and ancillary documents such as powers of attorney. Discover the pros and cons of using various types of documents, as well as the tax ramifications involved. Tackle the ethical issues related to estate planning, both from the attorney's perspective and from that of the client who must make end-of-life medical decisions. Have the skills and information you need right at your fingertips!

1. Fundamental Principles of Will Drafting
2. Basic Tax Considerations - What You Need to Know in Order to Choose the Appropriate Plan
3. Using Trusts as Estate Planning Tools
4. Durable Powers of Attorney and Advance Medical Directives
5. Ethics and Estate Planning
6. Fundamentals of Medicaid Planning in Louisiana

1. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF WILL DRAFTING
   9:00 - 10:15, Written by Steven M. Jankower and Joseph M. Placer Jr.
   Presented by Rita K. Bacot in Shreveport and Steven M. Jankower and Joseph M. Placer Jr. in Lafayette and New Orleans.
   1. Selecting the Vehicle - Initial Advice to the Client
   2. Checklist for Gathering Client Information
   3. The Statutory ABCs: What is Required?
   4. Methods of Designating Fiduciaries
   5. Disinheritance and No Contest Clauses - Will They Stand?
   6. Protective Clauses for Minors, Incompetent Persons and Beneficiaries With Special Needs
   7. Building Flexibility Into the Plan - Checklist of Special Provisions
   8. Practical Pointers With Sample Forms
   9. Developing a Document Preparation System
2. BASIC TAX CONSIDERATIONS - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN ORDER TO CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE PLAN
   10:30 - 11:30, Written by Steven M. Jankower and Joseph M. Placer Jr.
   Presented by Rita K. Bacot in Shreveport and Steven M. Jankower and Joseph M. Placer Jr. in Lafayette and New Orleans.
   1. Tax Considerations of Drafting Living or Testamentary Trusts
   2. Marital Deduction Planning - Qualifications and Basic Formula Approaches
   3. Estate and Gift Taxes
3. USING TRUSTS AS ESTATE PLANNING TOOLS
   11:30 - 12:15, Written by Steven M. Jankower and Joseph M. Placer Jr.
   Presented by Rita K. Bacot in Shreveport and Steven M. Jankower and Joseph M. Placer Jr. in Lafayette and New Orleans.
   1. Common Elements in Trust Agreements
   2. Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
   3. Disadvantages of Revocable Living Trusts
4. DURABLE POWERS OF ATTORNEY AND ADVANCE MEDICAL DIRECTIVES
   1:15 - 2:15, Written by Steven M. Jankower and Joseph M. Placer Jr.
   Presented by Rita K. Bacot in Shreveport and Steven M. Jankower and Joseph M. Placer Jr. in Lafayette and New Orleans.
   1. Pertinent Louisiana Civil Code Articles Concerning Durable Powers of Attorney
   2. Durable Powers of Attorney as a Part of Sensible Basic Estate Planning
   3. Medical Powers of Attorney and HIPAA
   4. Pertinent Louisiana Legislation Concerning Advanced Medical Directives (“Living Wills”)
   5. Differences Between Living Wills and Health Care Powers of Attorney
   6. Pros and Cons of Living Wills
5. ETHICS AND ESTATE PLANNING
   2:30 - 3:30, Written by Steven M. Jankower and Joseph M. Placer Jr.
   Presented by Rita K. Bacot in Shreveport and Steven M. Jankower and Joseph M. Placer Jr. in Lafayette and New Orleans.
   1. Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
   2. Identifying the Client
   3. Validity of Provisions in Will Naming Attorney for Estate
   4. Competency and Dealing with Clients with Diminished Capacity
   5. Distinguishing Privileged and Non-Privileged Communication
   6. Establishing Attorney's Fees
   7. Attorney-Client Privilege
   8. Communicating with the Client
   9. Importance of Using Law Office Management Software
6. FUNDAMENTALS OF MEDICAID PLANNING IN LOUISIANA
   3:30 - 4:30, Written by Steven M. Jankower and Joseph M. Placer Jr.
   Presented by Rita K. Bacot in Shreveport and Steven M. Jankower and Joseph M. Placer Jr. in Lafayette and New Orleans.
   1. Medicaid in Louisiana - Individuals in Need of Benefits can Qualify if They are Willing to Wait
   2. Louisiana's Forced Heirship Laws Make Medicaid Planning Critical
   3. Medicare and Medicaid - They may Sound the Same but They're Not
   4. Can a Medicaid Recipient Own Assets and Still Qualify for Benefits?
   5. Congress Passes Sweeping Changes in Medicaid Eligibility Rules - The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005
   6. "Why Can't we Give it Away?" - Donating Assets can Trigger Stiff Medicaid Penalties
   7. Medicaid Estate Recovery - When the Government Wants it Back
   8. Medicaid Planning for Long-Term Care of a Spouse
   9. Common Myths and Misconceptions About Medicaid Planning
   10. Legality of Medicaid Planning - Do Granny and Her Attorney go to Jail?
   11. Advantages and Disadvantages of Special Needs Trusts
   12. Determining if a Special Needs Trust is Right for Your Client's Needs
   13. Medicaid Planning and OBRA '93
   14. Establishing Special Needs Trusts With Disabled Individual's Assets and Personal Injury Awards
   15. Establishing Special Needs Trusts With Assets of Parents or Third Parties

RITA K. BACOT is a sole practitioner in Shreveport, Louisiana, where she practices in the areas of estate planning, contested estate issues, wills, successions and interdictions. Previously, she was a sole practitioner in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Bacot is admitted to practice in Louisiana and Georgia. She is a member of the Louisiana State, Shreveport and Bossier bar associations, and the State Bar of Georgia, and served as president of the Executive Board of the Bossier Council on Aging. Ms. Bacot earned her B.S. degree, with honors, from the University of Maine and her J.D. degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center in New Hampshire. (Shreveport location)

STEVEN M. JANKOWER has practiced law in Lafayette, Louisiana for more than 25 years. Mr. Jankower has focused much of his practice on the handling of estate planning issues involving families with disabled and special needs members. He currently serves as president of the Board of Directors of the Lafayette Association of Retarded Citizens (LARC), is a past president of Families Helping Families of Acadiana, and is immediate past chairman of the Lafayette City-Parish President's Advisory Committee for Citizens with Disabilities. Mr. Jankower also is a member of the Volunteers of America Advisory Board and the Down Syndrome Association of Acadiana. He has written several articles on the subject of estate planning for the disabled through use of special needs trusts, and his most recent article entitled "Why Every Attorney Should Consider Medicaid Planning Issues When Settling Personal Injury Claims" was published in the August/September 2007 issue of the Louisiana Bar Journal. Mr. Jankower also writes a monthly newsletter on Medicaid planning issues. He is a graduate of the University of Southwestern Louisiana and the Louisiana State University Law School. (Lafayette and New Orleans locations)

JOSEPH M. PLACER JR. is an attorney in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he practices in the areas of estate planning; succession/probate; and personal and business tax planning, including corporations, partnerships/limited liability companies and nonprofit organizations. He has been certified by the Louisiana State Bar Association's Board of Legal Specialization as an estate planning and administration specialist and as a tax law specialist. He earned his B.S. and J.D. degrees from Louisiana State University, and his LL.M. degree from the University of Denver Law School. Mr. Placer is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, the Lafayette Parish Bar Association and the Denver County Bar Association. (Lafayette and New Orleans locations)

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