Program Chair and Presenter:

Jessica A. Liebau
Wessels Law Office LLC
Mequon

Presenters:

Michael Austin
Wisconsin Department of Justice
Madison

Lauren E. Hamvas
Legal Action of Wisconsin Inc
Madison

Mary Kay Luzi, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
Milwaukee

Avery J. Mayne
Walny Legal Group LLC
Milwaukee

8:00 a.m. : Registration

8:30 a.m. : Guardianship Basics

• Handling an initial guardianship/protective placement case from appointment through payment
• Navigating a temporary guardianship
• Conducting an annual (“Watts”) review

Jessica A. Liebau

10:00 a.m. : Break

10:15 a.m. : Revisiting the Seminal Cases regarding Guardianships and Protective Placements

• Key guardianship cases that every GAL should know
• Holdings regarding Watts reviews, Agnes T, Medicaid planning, end of life decisions.
• Recent cases addressing the role of and immunities for GALs

Avery J. Mayne

11:05 a.m. : Identifying and combating elder abuse

• An overview of the Elder Rights Project
• An overview of elder abuse in Wisconsin
• Forms of elder abuse and warning signs for elders at risk
• Actions that can be filed for victims and other resources available

Lauren E. Hamvas

12:05 p.m. : Lunch (on your own)

1:05 p.m. : An Overview of the Attorney General’s Task Force on Elder Abuse

• An overview of the formation, goals, and initiatives of the task force
• Reporting abuse in Medicaid-funded and other senior care facilities
• Anticipated initiatives to address barriers to reporting abuse
• Issues regarding consumer protection for the elderly

Michael P. Austin

1:35 p.m. : Panel Discussion: Elder Abuse issues that arise in guardianship cases

Moderator: Jessica A. Liebau

2:05 p.m. : Break

2:20 p.m. : Working with a Psychologist for Evaluation of Diminished Capacity and Need for Guardianship

• How contributions of a psychologist can help your case and how to make a useful referral
• Core components of a clinical model for evaluation of capacity and how they translate into practice guidelines for relevant assessment procedures
• Expected elements of a Capacity/Competency Evaluation Report in the communication of assessment findings, analysis and opinion.

Mary Kay Luzi, PhD

3:50 p.m. : Program Concludes

• Know how to handle GAL cases from appointment through payment
• Review seminal cases on issues GALs frequently encounter
• Receive an introduction to two statewide initiatives to combat elder abuse
• Learn the ins and outs of psych evaluations from a clinical psychologist

• Guardians ad litem for adults
• Elder law attorneys
• Family law attorneys