Illinois Chapter of National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)

Thank you to our sponsors for a wonderful 2024. We look forward to spending time with you in 2025. Happy Holidays from ILNAELA! Midland Trust Company, Troy Kerber, Marquette Bank - John Power, CFP(R), CPA, Arosa, AshBer, BankFinancial, Krause Financial, Scott Nixon, Sara Saric, Trinity Advocacy Group, LLC, William Bonacorda

ILNAELA thanks its Gold, Silver, and Bronze sponsors for all their support this year! We look forward to seeing everyone at the Fall UnProgram! You can still register for the November 15th UnProgram at https://lnkd.in/gh_CtyaY.

Happy September all! It is time for our fall member spotlight and we are honored to spotlight long time member Wes Coulson! Wes Coulson is gleefully enjoying the early stages of retirement, but remains of counsel to Dent Coulson Elder Law in O'Fallon and Effingham. He happily reports he was able to retire with confidence that the law firm and its clients will remain in great hands under Kaye Dent's leadership. Wes graduated law school in 1978, and his career arc took him first to Mattoon, then to Olney, and from 1986 on he has been back home in the St. Louis metropolitan area. After 46 years in practice, it was time to enjoy other pursuits. His first elder law case involved helping his uncle George qualify for Medicaid back in 1995, the same year in which he attended his (and he believes the State's) first CLE course in elder law. It became the primary focus of Wes' practice by 2001, and he became a CELA in 2004, and then a member of CAP in 2023. The best part of NAELA membership for Wes has been getting to know, and learning from, a truly wonderful group of people who seem always willing to give one another a helping hand. He has a few tips to those still practicing: 1. always remember that the work you are doing is truly important and can make a real difference in the lives of your clients and their families; 2. make sure you always do your best to never let them down - he approaches cases by first deciding that he is going to help his clients achieve an excellent result, and then work backwards from there to figure out what it will take to make it happen; 3. learn from every matter you handle, and apply your knowledge and skills confidently, but with the humility to acknowledge when you don't know something and should reach out to others who might; and 4. always, always tell the truth and do the right thing. When asked what he most enjoyed about the field of Elder Law, Wes said it was the sense of inner satisfaction he got from being able to truly help people. He said “it has been said that an elder law attorney is one part lawyer, one part counselor, and one part family friend.” He relishes each of those roles, and treasures each and every one of the notes and letters he received from clients over the years telling him how much they benefited from and appreciated his and his staff's help. One of the highlights of his career happened during an ILNAELA UnProgram he attended when someone asked a question as to whether a controversial Medicaid planning technique would be approved by OIG. The attorney handling the OIG appeals at the time answered along the lines of "it never had been, but then we had to change the policy after an appeal hearing we had involving that guy," at which point he sort of glowered and pointed to Wes. Wes raised his hand, broke into a big smile, and waved to his fellow attorneys in attendance – he maintains “it was lovely.” Thank you, Wes, for your contributions to elder law and ILNAELA! Enjoy retirement!

Don’t miss your chance to register for one, several or ALL of these incredible events in celebration of Member Appreciation Week, starting Monday, June 24, 2024! Registration is free for members of Illinois Chapter of National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association, and The Chicago Bar Association! Come enjoy some wellness, networking, and even free CLE!

Such an exciting opportunity for Illinois Chapter of National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) to team up with The Chicago Bar Association YLS for an entire week devoted to celebrating our members! Details below!