Wills, Trusts, and Medicaid Planning: Drafting Essentials, Fiduciary Guidance, and Long-Term Care Strategies

Brittney Shearin | Lawyers with Purpose

Brittney Shearin serves as the Director of Education at Lawyers with Purpose (LWP) and is the Product Owner of LWP STEPS™—our proprietary document drafting and workflow automation software designed exclusively for estate planning attorneys. In her dual role, Brittney leads the strategic vision and execution of our educational curriculum while also overseeing the development and innovation of the LWP STEPS™ platform to ensure it aligns with the evolving needs of our members and their clients.

Before joining the LWP Team, Brittney practiced estate planning law for five years at a successful LWP member firm, where she focused on asset protection, Medicaid planning, and helping families navigate complex legal decisions with compassion and clarity. Brittney is passionate about empowering attorneys to build purpose-driven practices through education, systems, and a supportive community. She brings a deep understanding of the daily demands of estate planning practice, and she brings practical, real-world solutions to LWP’s tools, training, and software development.

Phoenix S. Ayotte | Future Counsel, LLC

Phoenix S. Ayotte is an attorney at Future Counsel, LLC. She has facilitated real estate settlements since 2020 and was formerly the managing attorney for a national title company. The real estate and title industry were a welcome and delightful change from Ms. Ayotte’s former grind in the courtroom and trial work. Her practice is rounded out with title/real estate, and business matters. Not only does she love the nitty-gritty of individual transactions, but she is also a generous and enthusiastic educator. Therefore, Ms. Ayotte continuously creates courses and informative content for real estate agents, fellow attorneys, students, and laypeople, for CE/CLE and non-CE/CLE credit, mentors students and interns, and is an annual participant in judging mock trials and moot courts. She has been recognized as a Washingtonian Magazine Top Lawyer, Super-Lawyers Rising Star, and National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40. Ms. Ayotte is admitted to practice in Virginia.

Leslie Levin | Hinman, Howard & Kattell LLP

Leslie Levin is a Partner at Hinman, Howard & Kattell LLP and works out of the White Plains and New York City offices. She is a member of the Wills, Trusts, & Estates, Elder Law & Guardianships and Not-for-Profit Corporations & Foundations practice groups. She practices in estate planning, probate, estate and trust administration, gift and generation-skipping tax transfer planning, creation and termination of not-for-profit organizations, charitable planning, special needs and disability planning, Medicaid planning, and elder law. As part of her practice, Ms. Levin works with litigators in developing strategy and offering expertise in the realm of trusts and estates litigation. She also serves as executor for client’s estates and as a trustee for a number of trusts. Ms. Levin earned her B.A. degree, summa cum laude, high honors, from Brandeis University and her J.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She is admitted to practice in both New York and Connecticut.

Session I – Drafting Wills and Trusts: Key Provisions, Fiduciary Roles, and Client Guidance | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

• What questions to ask your clients to develop an estate plan
• Executor/trustee duties and responsibilities and considerations for client to consider when picking fiduciaries
• Key provisions for either a will or a revocable trust, including use of a disclaimer trust, credit shelter trust, marital trust, descendant’s trust and supplemental needs trust

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

Session II – Wills, Trusts, and Beyond: Practical Strategies for Effective Estate Planning | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

• Wills vs. trusts: Key differences and when to use each
• Requirements for a valid will
• Types of trusts and the levels of protection they provide
• Funding a trust and coordinating non-probate assets
• Powers of attorney, advanced directives, and living trusts

Break | 3:10pm – 3:20pm

Session III – The Basics of Planning for Long-Term Care, Medicaid & Asset Protection | 3:20pm – 4:20pm

• Planning techniques for irrevocable trusts, gifting strategies, and spend-down planning
• The growing importance of Medicaid planning as baby boomers age
• The value of Medicaid planning for your clients and your firm
• What you need to know to get started with irrevocable trusts