SBM groups to present estate planning seminars for senior citizens Aug. 6

Members of the State Bar of Michigan Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, in partnership with members of the SBM Elder Law and Disability Rights Section and SBM Probate and Estate Planning Section, will visit senior centers in 51 Michigan counties to present a one-hour seminar to inform and empower senior citizens about estate planning decisions. Committee and section members will begin presenting the seminar on Wednesday, Aug. 6, and will make a few additional presentations on other dates ranging from early August through October. Local senior centers have set the times and dates of each presentation of the seminar, with some senior centers hosting the seminar multiple times. To view the complete list of seminar times, dates and places, visit http://www.michbar.org/elderlaw/pdfs/estateplanning.pdf. "A Living Trust Education Initiative: Who Should You Trust? Avoiding Estate Planning Mistakes," will provide senior citizens, including veterans applying for benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with essential estate planning information and caution them about deceptive sales practices that could potentially jeopardize their economic stability. It will include a short presentation by licensed Michigan attorneys and a dynamic question and answer period. Seminar participants will receive a folder containing estate planning information and other materials to help them avoid estate planning mistakes and becoming victimized by persons selling annuities for their own economic gain. SBM Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee Chair Barbara Baker Omerod, SBM Elder Law and Disability Rights Section Chair Rosemary H. Buhl, and SBM Probate and Estate Planning Section Chair Thomas F. Sweeney have enthusiastically embraced this community outreach program. They have encouraged the members of their professional groups to participate in it as a meaningful way to protect the public from harm by empowering senior citizens to make informed decisions. For more information, contact your local senior center or State Bar of Michigan Professional Standards Division Paralegal Amy Emmons at (517) 346-6343 or aemmons@mail.michbar.org, or State Bar of Michigan Legal Assistant Janna Sheppard at (517) 346-6357 or jsheppard@email.michbar.org. More information about the Bar can be accessed at www.michbar.org Published: Mon, Jul 28, 2014