Legal Issues of the Aging 2025

  • OnDemand seminar
  • Elder Law
Up to 7.5 Credit Hours
View schedule and faculty
Legal Issues of the Aging 2025

Co-produced with the Elder Law and Special Needs Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin

Mature advice

As your clients age or care for an aging family member, they face a maze of legal, financial, and emotional decisions. Legal Issues of the Aging 2025 provides crucial insights into today’s elder and special needs law challenges, from care planning to public benefit eligibility and recent case law. Whether you’re new to this area or a seasoned elder law practitioner, you’ll receive practical guidance you can use right away.

Care concerns

A panel of elder law attorneys and industry professionals with hands-on experience in elder care and facility management will open with a deep dive into the realities of assisted living arrangements. They’ll discuss the forces driving ownership changes—including the rise of private equity—and what those shifts mean for client care. This panel will also cover core issues, including licensing requirements, drafting legally sound admissions agreements, and addressing high-risk scenarios such as involuntary discharges and private payment timelines.

8:30 am
Where the rubber meets the road – a panel discussion with the Facility and Elder Law perspective

Moderator: Jon Fischer Panel: Robert J. Lightfoot, Bridget M. Erwin

  • Discover who’s driving assisted living mergers and acquisitions, private equity or family-owned buyers, and the legal trends shaping these deals
  • Learn how to navigate key regulatory challenges, from licensing issues to drafting admissions agreements
  • Gain insights on managing high-risk situations like involuntary discharges and private pay timelines
9:45 am
’We’ll Take Care of You No Matter What’ and Other Tall Tales

Moderator: Jessica A. Liebau Panel: Jessica A. Braun, Blaine Patino

11:00 am
Break
11:15 am
Public Benefit Update

Brenda R. Haskins

12:30 pm
Lunch (Networking Lunch sponsored by ELSN Section)
1:30 pm
Fair Hearing How To

Margaret W. Hickey, Heather B. Poster

  • When and why you should file for Fair Hearing
  • How to prepare for the fair hearing
  • Presentation of evidence at the fair hearing
  • Pros and cons of settlement before Hearing
  • Supplementing the record
  • Petitioning for attorney’s fees and costs after a favorable decision
2:45 pm
Break
3:00 pm
Case Law Update

Katrina Hochholzer, Sara K. Micheletti

  • New Legislation (likely both state and federal)
  • New Case Law
  • New DHS Memos
  • New Fair Hearing Decisions
4:15 pm
Program Concludes
Jessica A. Braun
Schober Schober & Mitchell S.C. · New Berlin
Bridget M. Erwin
Hager, Dewick & Zuengler S.C. · Green Bay
Jon Fischer, Program Chair
McCarty Law LLP · Appleton
Brenda R. Haskins
Haskins Main & Devine LLC · Monona
Margaret W. Hickey
Becker, Hickey & Poster S.C. · Milwaukee
Katrina Hochholzer
McCarty Law LLP · Appleton
Jessica A. Liebau, Program Chair
Wessels & Liebau LLC · Mequon
Robert J. Lightfoot
Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren S.C. · Madison
Sara K. Micheletti
McCarty Law LLP · Appleton
Blaine Patino
Canellos & Patino LLC · Wauwatosa
Heather B. Poster
Becker, Hickey & Poster S.C. · Milwaukee

Sponsored by

Interested in sponsoring this program? Find out more.

  • Reduce risk when advising clients on assisted living entry, care arrangements, and disputes
  • Stay ahead of legal and policy changes that impact elder and special needs planning
  • Integrate recent case law and Department of Health Services guidance into your client strategies
  • Represent clients more effectively in fair hearings and public benefit matters
  • Elder law attorneys
  • Guardians ad litem for adults
  • Estate planning and probate lawyers
  • Family lawyers

Book Bonus!

Advising Older Clients & Their Families – 2 Volume Set
Save 15% on the Advising Older Clients & Their Families – 2 Volume Set.* In it, you’ll find the practice pointers, tips, charts, forms, and other tools to help you build and maintain a successful elder law practice. Use discount code CA3806 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.

Attendees at the in-person seminar will have a special opportunity to meet and talk with presenters at a complimentary luncheon sponsored by the State Bar’s Elder Law and Special Needs Section.

Scholarships Available

The Elder Law and Special Needs Section is pleased to offer five scholarships to attend Legal Issues of the Aging 2025 in person on Friday, September 19, 2025. Find more information on scholarship eligibility and the application here. The deadline to apply is Friday, August 22, 2025. Questions? Please contact Section Coordinator Kara Olson.