Elder Financial Exploitation: A Practitioner's Guide 2025

  • OnDemand seminar
  • Elder Law
Up to 4.0 Credit Hours
View schedule and faculty
Elder Financial Exploitation: A Practitioner's Guide 2025

Respect your elders

In Wisconsin, financial exploitation is the second most common form of elder abuse after self-neglect.1 Because clients share personal information with their lawyers that they may not disclose to others, attorneys are uniquely positioned to identify, prevent, and address potential financial exploitation.

Elder Financial Exploitation: A Practitioner’s Guide prepares you to handle civil or criminal financial fraud and abuse cases for aging clients. You’ll learn what preventative measures you can take to safeguard your clients and their assets and how to:

  • Evaluate relevant parties and stakeholders
  • Develop short- and long-term response plans
  • Cooperate effectively with Adult Protective Services
  • Identify efficient use of guardianships to stop financial fraud
  • Work within the constraints and timelines of Wisconsin Statutes
8:30 am
The Marathon Response to Elder Financial Exploitation

April DeValkenaere

  • Identify all the relevant parties to the investigation
  • Determine a response plan with short-term and long-term goals
  • Discuss the most overlooked resource of Adult Protective Services (APS)
  • Review the example scenario
9:30 am
Understanding the Tools Available: Effective use of Guardianship Law to Protect Elders at Risk

Jessica M. Moeller

  • Identify efficient use of guardianships to stop financial fraud, especially spendthrift guardianships
  • Understand the constraints, usage, and timelines of Chapters 54 and 55
  • A unique perspective from both sides of the courtroom (Corp Counsel and Defense Counsel)
10:15 am
Break
10:30 am
Civil Theft Claims Based on Elder Abuse

Robert M. Mihelich

  • Discuss relevant statutes and strategies for the civil attorney representing the victim/victim’s family in theft claims
  • Understand how Wis. Stat. § 895.446 provides a civil cause of action for certain crimes
11:15 am
Criminal Aspects to Elder Financial Abuse

Peter M. Tempelis

  • Review the beginning of the legal process from search warrant, investigations, and applicable charges
  • Considerations of privilege
12:00 pm
A Journey to Success: Knowing Where to Turn for Additional Resources

April DeValkenaere

  • Identifying additional resources both locally and nationally
  • Best practices of resource management
12:15 pm
Program Concludes

Program Chairs & Presenters

April DeValkenaere, SBWCP, CFCI, CCI
Fortress Forensic Investigations · Eagle
Robert M. Mihelich
Law Offices of Robert M. Mihelich · New Berlin
Peter M. Tempelis
Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office · Waukesha

Presenter

Jessica M. Moeller
Charleston School of Law · Charleston, SC

  • Identify key parties, develop response plans, and utilize Adult Protective Services
  • Explore advantageous guardianship law tools to protect elders at risk
  • Understand the civil theft claims based on elder abuse available under Wisconsin law
  • Review the criminal process for elder financial abuse from search warrant to charging
  • Discover how to use national and local resources that support elder abuse cases
  • Elder and special needs law attorneys
  • Family lawyers
  • Financial lawyers
  • Prosecutors
  • Criminal defense lawyers
  • Creditor and debtor attorneys

Book Bonus!

Advising Older Clients & Their Families — 2 Volume Set
Save 15% on Advising Older Clients & Their Families — 2 Volume Set.* Written and reviewed by some of Wisconsin’s premier elder law attorneys, it’s the foremost guide to elder law, specifically developed for Wisconsin practitioners. Use discount code CA3750 when you order online or by calling (800) 728-7788.

*Discount applies to both print and digital Books Unbound editions of this title and cannot be applied to previous purchases. Offer valid through 12/31/26. For Books Unbound users, discount may be applied to purchase of individual Books Unbound title only and may not be used on the purchase of libraries. Discount cannot be combined with any other offers.

This program originally presented January 10, 2025.

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