This registration form is for Monday, August 17, 2:00–4:00 p.m. ET
This program is also available on:
Wednesday, September 2, 2:00–4:00 p.m. ET
Tuesday, November 10, 10:00 a.m.–Noon ET
| MCLE Credit: | 2.0 Pending |
| Live-Interactive Credit: | 2.0 (all dates, all formats) Pending |
| GAL for Children CE Credit: | 2.0 (GAL Information) |
| GAL for Incapacitated Persons CE Credit: | 2.0 (GAL Information) |
This presentation focuses on when to use different pooled trust options for minor clients, and how structured settlements can be integrated into a comprehensive planning strategy.
A first-party pooled special needs trust helps clients with disabilities maintain eligibility for programs such as Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Pooled settlement preservation trusts provide oversight and structure for a minor client who does not have a disability to help ensure funds are managed responsibly, reducing risk for both clients and counsel.
Attendees will receive a practical overview of key public benefits programs, an explanation of special needs trusts, and a comparison of pooled versus standalone trust options. The presentation will also cover key considerations in determining suitability, including disability status, settlement size, age (including clients age 65 and older), and current or anticipated eligibility for means-tested benefits, along with guidance on evaluating pooled trust administrators.
Registration Deadlines:
| Webcast: | 10 minutes prior to seminar. If you register for a webcast the day of the seminar, your e-mail receipt will include a link to launch the seminar and download the materials. |
| Telephone: | 10 minutes prior to seminar Call (434) 979-8253 to register up to one hour prior to the seminar |
| Live on Site: | Online registration ends at 11:59 p.m. the day preceding the seminar Walk-in registration is permitted on a space-available basis |
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation/transfer requests will be honored until 5:00 p.m. the day preceding the seminar. You will, however, be charged $40 if you cancel or transfer your registration to a different seminar after the link to the materials has been e-mailed by Virginia CLE®.
Full refunds or transfers are available up to two days after a webcast in the unlikely event that you experience technical difficulties.
Dietary Restrictions: If you have dietary restrictions and are attending the seminar in person, please email tfitzgerald@vacle.org.
MCLE Credit Caveat: The MCLE Board measures credits by the time you spend in attendance. If you enter a seminar late or leave it early, or both, you must reflect those adjustments accurately in the credits you report on your credit reporting form. A code will be given at the end of the seminar, which must be written on your MCLE form.
Private recording of this program is prohibited.
Can’t Attend?
E-mail distance_ed@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program is made available as an online or USB seminar.
E-mail publications@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program’s seminar materials are made available for sale.
| 2:00 | Protecting Minor Clients: Pooled Special Needs Trusts and Settlement Preservation Pooled Trusts |
| 4:00 | Adjourn |
Sean Murphy, Esq., Commonwealth Community Trust / Richmond
Ben Tiefenback, Esq., Commonwealth Community Trust / Richmond
Sean Murphy, Esq., Commonwealth Community Trust / Richmond
Sean Murphy, Esq., has joined CCT as Counsel and Director of New Clients. Mr. Murphy brings to the organization more than two decades of legal experience spanning insurance, healthcare, and risk-management matters. For the past eleven years, he has served the Commonwealth of Virginia as a Senior Assistant Attorney General, representing multiple healthcare agencies. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Legal Environment of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University for the past three years.
Mr. Murphy earned his Bachelor of Arts from James Madison University and his Juris Doctor from George Mason University School of Law. He looks forward to contributing his extensive legal expertise in support of CCT and its mission.
Ben Tiefenback, Esq., Commonwealth Community Trust / Richmond
Ben Tiefenback, Esq., is Counsel and Director of Client Services at Commonwealth Community Trust. Prior to joining CCT, Mr. Tiefenback was a trust and estate attorney serving Hampton Roads, the Middle Peninsula, and the Northern Neck. His practice focused on estate planning and trust creation and administration, with an emphasis on special needs trust planning due to his personal experiences with special needs issues in his family. Mr. Tiefenback currently serves on the board of directors of the Alliance of Pooled Trusts (APT). He also serves on the board of the Society of Settlement Planners (SSP) and is a fiduciary member of the Special Needs Alliance (SNA). He writes for CCT and other publications, including NAELA News, and speaks at CLE seminars and other events across the country.
