FL Specific

Trusts, Estates & Probate

4.73

Estate Planning in Florida: From A to Z

Credits Available
Credit Status Total
Florida CLE Approved 7 Total
OnDemand
5 hours 57 minutes
Rhonda Steller
Michael Norvell
Barbara Simanek
Katherine Lewis, MBA, CPA, CTFA, ESQ
Aislynn Thomas-McDonald
Jeanette Mora
With Rhonda D. Steller from Medicaid Planning & Resource Center, Law Firm, PLLC + 5 others
Recorded August 22, 2025
Product ID 100532

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Overview

Get Critical Tools for Shaping Your Clients' Legacies

This no-nonsense introduction to estate planning breaks it down to its key working documents and fundamental steps. Learn how to map out asset transfers during life and distributions in probate, prepare clients for incapacity and nursing home care, and more. Whether you're just getting started or looking for a practical refresher, you'll find our expert faculty's insights helpful. Get the tools and tactics you'll need to ensure your client's estates function as intended. Register today!

  • Explore the top types of wills and trusts used in the practice, and pick the right one for each client.
  • Build Medicaid eligibility planning into your overall plans and avoid unintentional tax and creditor exposure.
  • Prevent POA abuse through wise choice of proxy and careful drafting.
  • Help clients plan for medical decision-making and diminishing capacity.
  • Plan for the tax consequences of trusts and other planning techniques and find ways to minimize the tax burden.
  • Spot common mistakes that will land you in hot water in joint representation of spouses.

Abbreviated Agenda

  1. Essential Will and Trust Drafting
  2. Gifts, Joint Accounts, Intervivos Transfers, LLCs, IRAs, and Annuities
  3. Special Needs Trusts and Medicaid Planning
  4. Essential Tax Tactics
  5. Financial and Medical Decision-Making, Guardianships
  6. Probate in a Nutshell: What to Expect
  7. Legal Ethics
Product ID 100532

Credit Details

Credits Available
Credit Status Total
Florida CLE Approved 7 Total
Select Jurisdiction
CLE

Agenda

All times are shown in
  1. Essential Will and Trust Drafting

    1. Client Intake and Crafting the Overall Plan
    2. Wills vs. Trusts
    3. Top Trusts to Use
    4. Drafting Essential Provisions (With Sample Language)
      1. Fiduciary Powers
      2. Distributions
      3. Special Clauses
  2. Gifts, Joint Accounts, Intervivos Transfers, LLCs, IRAs, and Annuities

  3. Special Needs Trusts and Medicaid Planning

    1. Medicaid Eligibility Criteria
    2. Medicaid Planning Tools
    3. Types of Special Needs Trusts
    4. Essential SNT Provisions
    5. Preserving Benefits
    6. ABLE Accounts
  4. Essential Tax Tactics

    1. Current State and Federal Tax Rates and Exclusions
    2. Tax Tactics for Small vs. Large Estates
    3. Valuation of Assets
    4. Taxation and Tax Consequences of Trusts
  5. Financial and Medical Decision-Making, Guardianships

    1. Choosing the Right Proxies
    2. "Dangerous" Powers
    3. Adult Guardianships
    4. Medical POAs and Advance Directives
  6. Probate in a Nutshell: What to Expect

  7. Legal Ethics

    1. Who Is Your Client?
    2. Conflicts of Interest
    3. Joint Representation of Spouses
    4. Client Capacity
    5. Effective Communication
    6. Practicing Before the IRS
    7. Attorney Fees, Engagement Agreements, and Client Trust Accounts
    8. Preventing UPL

Who Should Attend

This basic level online seminar is designed for:

  • Attorneys
  • Accountants and CPAs
  • Tax Professionals
  • Trust Officers
  • Estate Planners
  • Paralegals

Speakers

Rhonda D Steller
Rhonda D.
Steller
Medicaid Planning & Resource Center, Law Firm, PLLC
Michael C Norvell
Michael C.
Norvell
Medicaid Planning & Resource Center, Law Firm, PLLC
Barbara A Simanek
Barbara A.
Simanek
K&L Gates LLP
Katherine Lewis, MBA, CPA, CTFA, ESQ
Katherine
Lewis, MBA, CPA, CTFA, ESQ
Tax Aces LLC
Aislynn Thomas-McDonald
Aislynn
Thomas-McDonald
Kelley Kronenberg
Jeanette Mora
Jeanette
Mora
Estate & Elder Law Counsel, P.A.
Speaker bio
Rhonda D Steller

Rhonda D. Steller

Medicaid Planning & Resource Center, Law Firm, PLLC
Rhonda Steller

is the manager at Medicaid Planning & Resource Center, Law Firm, PLLC in Leesburg, Florida. She has been a Medicaid planner for over 19 years.

Speaker bio
Michael C Norvell

Michael C. Norvell

Medicaid Planning & Resource Center, Law Firm, PLLC
Michael Norvell

graduated from the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin School of Law in 1976 and was admitted to The Florida Bar in November of 1976. Prior to entering law school, he served in the US Army from 1965-1967 where he was part of the Army Engineer Field Unit of the Ethiopia - U.S. Mapping Mission. This mission was the last ground mapping of an entire country ever undertaken. Mr. Norvell's practice has transitioned to late life issues, such a guardianship, Medicaid planning, trust and probate administration, and litigation. He has been working in the area for over 40 years and has two practices in the Leesburg area, with one office dedicated to the sole practice of Medicaid planning. Mr. Norvell is a member of the University of Florida President's Council.

Speaker bio
Barbara A Simanek

Barbara A. Simanek

K&L Gates LLP
Barbara Simanek

is a partner at K&L Gates LLP. She is a partner in the firm's private client, trusts and estates practice area with a focus on estate and trust law. Ms. Simanek currently serves as the practice group coordinator for the private clients, trusts and estates practice group, with members spread across the globe. She handles all aspects of estate planning and settlement, including the interaction between employee benefits and an individual's estate. Ms. Simanek counsels clients on tax planning, business succession planning, and elder law issues, and administers large estates. One aspect of her practice includes analyzing the impact of, and implementing, estate planning strategies such as QPRTs, GRATs, multigenerational trusts, disclaimers, transfer of stock options, family limited partnerships, and split dollar arrangements. Ms. Simanek drafts documents associated with such strategies, as well as wills and a variety of trusts, including credit shelter trusts, revocable trusts, irrevocable "Crummey" trusts, defective grantor trusts, and Florida "flite" trusts. She has devoted a portion of her practice to integrating retirement plan assets into an estate plan and focusing on elder law issues. Ms. Simanek earned her B.A degree, cum laude, from Smith College; her M.B.A degree from University of Pittsburgh; and her J.D degree, cum laude, from Duquesne University School of Law.

Speaker bio
Katherine Lewis, MBA, CPA, CTFA, ESQ

Katherine Lewis, MBA, CPA, CTFA, ESQ

Tax Aces LLC
Katherine Lewis, MBA, CPA, CTFA, ESQ

, is president of Tax Aces LLC. She is a licensed CPA and Lawyer in both Minnesota and Florida and has more than 30 years of tax and business experience. Ms. Lewis started her career in the tax department at the Big 8 CPA Firm, Ernst & Young. She then spent almost 20 years employed by the preeminent legal, business & regulatory information publisher, West Publishing that was later acquired by Thomson Reuters where she was consistently recognized as a top 1% leader of its sales & business executives. Ms. Lewis also worked several years at the community bank, United Southern Bank as a Vice President & Trust Officer with over 100 clients and assets over $200M. She is an IRS credentialed agent and Tax Attorney representing clients in all tax matters before the IRS and US Tax Court and is also a Certified Trust & Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA). Ms. Lewis earned her B.S. degree, cum laude, from University of Minnesota, her J.D. degree, cum laude, from William Mitchell College of Law, and her MBA degree, summa cum laude, from Florida Atlantic University.

Speaker bio
Aislynn Thomas-McDonald

Aislynn Thomas-McDonald

Kelley Kronenberg
Aislynn Thomas-McDonald

is the founder and managing attorney of Kelley Kronenberg. She focuses her practice in the areas of family law, trial and appellate practice, divorce, child custody/time-sharing, marital agreements, adoption and surrogacy law, collaborative divorce/family law (Certified Training Completed March 2017), probate administration and litigation, wills and trusts, guardianship and elder law, and family mediation. Ms. McDonald is a member of various professional organizations, some include the Dade County Bar Association, Monroe County Bar Association, Duval County Bar Association, Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and the Dean's Alumni Circle, FIU College of Law. She earned her B.A. degree from American University of Paris, her M.S. degree from Mississippi College and her J.D. degree from Florida International University.

Speaker bio
Jeanette Mora

Jeanette Mora

Estate & Elder Law Counsel, P.A.
Jeanette Mora

is an attorney at Estate & Elder Law Counsel, P.A., specializing in estate planning, probate, and elder law. She is passionate about giving back to her community and regularly volunteers her time as a guardian ad litem advocate, Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association and Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida. Ms. Mora earned her J.D. degree from Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law. She is a member of several professional associations and committees, including the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law section of The Florida Bar, for which she was selected as a fellow 2022-2024; Hispanic American Professional Businesswomen Association; Central Florida Association of Women Lawyers; Hispanic Bar Association of Central Florida; and Junior League of Greater Orlando, where she serves as co-vice chair of the Local Advocacy Committee. Ms. Mora also serves as chair of the Orange County Bar Association Elder Law Committee and co-chair of the Estate, Guardianship and Trust Committee. She is admitted to practice law in Florida.

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In the unlikely event that NBI cancels or reschedules an upcoming program, each registered attendee will be contacted via email by a representative of NBI. Outreach to attendees begins as soon as NBI is made aware that a program will not move forward at its originally scheduled date and time.
Are multiple attendee discounts available?
Yes, the more people you bring from your organization, the more you save. After the first registration, each additional attendee receives a special discount off of their total tuition.
When will the OnDemand be available and how long will I have access to the content?
The OnDemand Video will be available to stream within 14 days of live broadcast date. You will have access to the content for 6 months in your account. If you’re a subscriber, you’ll have access to your course recordings until 7 days after the expiration date of the subscription.
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When you enroll prior to the live event date you will receive access to the live-streaming webinar which will allow you to interact with faculty in real-time. With each course, you will receive access to the content via OnDemand Streaming and the Video Download. Course reference materials are included with each course purchase in a downloadable PDF format.
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While only paid registrants can receive continuing education credit for attending, there are no limitations to the number of viewers at each connection.

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