Area Lawyer to Lead Series at Holyoke Community College

HOLYOKE—Attorney Karen G. Jackson of Jackson Law, an elder law and estate planning firm, will teach a series of classes highlighting the latest developments in elder law and estate planning at Holyoke Community College.

The six-hour course, called Elder Law and Estate Planning: What You Need to Know, will be presented in three, two-hour sessions, on Mondays, Oct. 16, 23 and 30, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Jackson will present comprehensive subject matter on what she calls “The Core Estate Plan,” in which she will explain core documents and provide stories and examples. She will also discuss “The Probate Process Start to Finish” and “Medicare, Community Care Programs, and MassHealth Planning.”

“The course will explain the basic building blocks of an estate plan and a plan for home and nursing home care,” Jackson said. “From that foundation, we will also consider the various specialized trust documents that support this planning.  I will clarify the probate process and what it means to ‘probate a will.’ And, finally, we will explore current MassHealth issues that are affecting seniors.”

The material will be presented as follows:

• In the first session, Jackson will explain each document in the core estate plan.  She will discuss the problems that can occur when proper documents are not prepared before a loss of mental capacity or physical health or before sudden loss of life.  She will also provide an overview of the different types of trusts that can be considered in estate planning, including supplemental needs trusts, revocable trusts and irrevocable trusts.
• The second session will address the probate court process.  Jackson will discuss the different types of probate, explain how to determine which assets must go through probate after a death, and what can be done in your planning now.
• In the third and final session, Jackson will introduce the various Medicaid programs that provide community and long-term skilled nursing care in Massachusetts and the financial assistance associated with each.  She will also address hot topics in Medicare law, supplemental needs trusts, and new developments in significant elder law issues.

While participants may attend only one session of their choosing, they must still pay the full course cost of $85.

Holyoke Community College’s main campus in Holyoke is at 303 Homestead Avenue.

To register, call Holyoke Community College at (413) 552-2500 or online at www.hcc.edu/bce.