Patti News - Patricia E. Kefalas Dudek & Associates -

Upcoming Speaking/Presentations Engagements:

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Double Header
Introduction to Special Needs and Elder Law
November 5-8, 2009

Patti will be presenting General Session 5: Planning for Persons with Disabilities on Friday, November 6 at 12:35 pm. Don't miss this complete overview of Special Needs Planning, including Special Needs Trusts, Public Benefits Eligibility and Special Needs Housing.

Patricia E. Kefalas Dudek Recognized in the Field of Elder Law

We are proud to announce that Patricia E. Kefalas Dudek was recently honored at the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) Annual Conference, which took place April 1-5, 2009, in Washington D.C. Ms. Dudek was one of four attorneys bestowed the organization's highest honor of becoming a NAELA Fellow. The other three award recipients included Barbara Hughes of Madison, Wisconsin; Ruth Phelps of Pasadena, California; and Howard Krooks of Boca Raton, Florida.

An NAELA Fellow is an attorney who concentrates his or her practice in the field of Elder Law, has been a member of NAELA for at least three years, and has made a significant contribution to the field of Elder Law. According to NAELA, Elder Law attorneys focus on the legal needs of seniors and people with disabilities. They work with a variety of legal tools and techniques to meet the goals and objectives of their clients on issues such as estate planning and probate, long-term care, health care decisions, Medicare and Medicaid, age discrimination and elder abuse.

Ms. Dudek is proud to be honored in the limited elite group of 76 attorneys who hold this title throughout the United States.

The mission of NAELA is to establish its members as the premier providers of legal advocacy, guidance, and services to enhance the lives of people with special needs and people as they age. For more information on this association, visit the NAELA website.

Featured Attorney - NAELA News

NAELA News - December 2007

Announcement from Special Needs Planners:
We wanted to acknowledge and congratulate ASNP Advisory Board Member Patti Dudek on the recognition given to her in the upcoming NAELA News issue; she's on the cover with the headline: "Champion for the Disabled! Patti is on the ASNP Advisory Board and she was a featured speaker at last year's ASNP National Meeting.

Patti's Response: Thanks for the kind comments. Let me just point out that this is a great honor, but folks with disabilities prefer to be referred to as "People first" -- they do not like to be defined by their disability. I clearly did not approve the " the disabled" language or the several different spellings of my name, but I will accept the honor, and hope that our organization will be able to raise the bar on such issues that seem small but are not.