2026 Estate Planning Summit

Mary E. Vandenack, ACTEC, COLPM®, CAP®, Accredited Estate Planner® (Distinguished), has thirty years of experience supporting private wealth clients in tax, private wealth planning, asset protection, business exit planning, complex trusts and estates, and philanthropy. She is Of Counsel with Erickson Sederstrom PLLC, LLO in Omaha, Nebraska, and is recognized for her innovative integration of technology into legal practice — honored by the American Bar Association with the James I. Keane Award and inducted into Women in Legal Tech. A frequent nationwide speaker and commentator for Leimberg Services, she is active in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), serving on its Technology and Asset Protection Committees as Nebraska State Chair, and has chaired the ABA Law Practice Division. Ms. Vandenack earned her BBA, summa cum laude, from the College of Saint Mary and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Creighton University School of Law.

Don D. Ford, III is the managing partner of Ford + Bergner LLP and is board-certified in estate planning and probate. He lectures to professional groups on tax and estate planning, probate, and guardianship topics, and practices exclusively in these areas. In 2014, he was appointed by the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court to serve as a commissioner on the Judicial Branch Certification Commission as a subject-matter expert in guardianships, and he previously served on the Texas Guardianship Certification Board as vice-chair and chaired its Rules Committee. Mr. Ford is a Certified Mediator through the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law. He earned his J.D. and B.B.A. in Accounting from Baylor University and is admitted to practice in Texas.

Sheila-Marie Finkelstein, Esq. serves as a shareholder in Klinedinst Attorneys' Irvine office. She is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and a Veterans Affairs Accredited Attorney. She founded and runs the Pro Bono Estate Clinic at Veterans Legal Institute, preparing approximately 100 complete estate plans annually for veterans in need. An accomplished author and speaker, she has been published in ABA magazines including GPSolo and OC Lawyer, and teaches CLE courses through NBI, the Orange County Bar Association, CEB, and CalVet. Ms. Finkelstein earned her B.A. from American University, her M.Ed. from the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, her J.D. from Washington & Lee University School of Law, and her LL.M. from Chapman University Fowler School of Law. She is licensed to practice in California and Nevada.

Robert M. Harper, ACTEC, is a partner with Farrell Fritz, P.C. in Uniondale, New York, and a seasoned estates, trusts, and guardianship litigator who advises individuals, families, charities, and corporate fiduciaries. Appearing before the Surrogate's Court and the Supreme Court, he handles will and trust contests, contested accounting and guardianship proceedings, fiduciary removal applications and surcharges, kinship proceedings, asset turnover proceedings, and more. He is a special professor of law at Hofstra University School of Law, where he coaches the moot court teams, and is a frequent lecturer and contributor to the firm's New York Trusts & Estates Litigation blog. Mr. Harper earned his B.S. from Boston College and his J.D. from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Trusts and Estates (2024–present) and is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.

Sarah J. Barnes is an attorney and legal counsel with Voya Financial, where she handles all levels of trust and estate administration matters. She was previously in private practice for many years, focusing on estate planning and elder law. A frequent speaker at continuing legal education seminars, she has served as adjunct faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marquette University Law School and sits on a number of non-profit boards. Ms. Barnes earned her B.A. from Edgewood College and her J.D. from Marquette University Law School. Her professional memberships include the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Dane County Bar Association, the Legal Association of Women, and the Madison Estate Planning Council. She is admitted to practice in Wisconsin.

Jennifer M. McInerney is an attorney with McInerney Law, assisting individuals and families with wills and trusts, special needs planning, estate and trust administration, business succession planning and formation, guardianships and alternatives, and conservatorships. She is the founding member and co-president of the board of Special Siblings, which supports children with special needs siblings, and serves as president of the board of the Jefferson County Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority. A member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Special Needs Alliance, she is active in the Birmingham Bar and the Solo/Small Firm Section of the Alabama State Bar. Ms. McInerney earned her B.A., magna cum laude, and M.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, her J.D. from Indiana University School of Law, and her LL.M. in taxation from Washington University in St. Louis. She is licensed in Alabama, Utah, Oregon, and Mississippi.