Basic Fiduciary Law 201

Mrs. Laura Akins Smith Related Seminars and Products

Nadler Biernath LLC

Laura Akins Smith practices in the areas of special needs planning, estate planning, elder law and probate with Nadler Biernath. Laura assists her clients in planning for family emergencies, finding solutions for complicated mixed family circumstances and for the end of life. After a loved one has experienced a catastrophe or passed away, Laura helps clients navigate through the probate procedure and legalities.

As a native Atlantan, Laura appreciates the opportunity to serve her hometown community. With patience and empathy, she guides her clients through the often overwhelming estate planning or probate processes. Laura finds it incredibly rewarding to connect with her clients and make difficult circumstances easier.

Laura serves on the board for Threshold Community Program and the Atlanta Autism Consortium.

In her free time, Laura loves finding new running routes and hiking trails to explore. She keeps up with new restaurant openings and enjoys trying different cuisines. She also enjoys travel—her favorite destination so far has been Japan!

Ms. Olivia Corrie Smith Related Seminars and Products

SR Law Group

Olivia is a Georgia native and a graduate of Spelman College class of 2004 where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. She is also a 2007 graduate of Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Olivia has been practicing law for 16 years starting out in criminal defense but transitioning into estate planning and elder law as the result of a personal family experience.  She is the owner and partner of SR Law Group, a boutique law firm that focuses on Estate Planning, Elder Law, and Probate in the black community. She is also the co-host of Black Parents Aging, a podcast that helps children of aging parents navigate the changing landscape.  Olivia is very active and engaged in her church and community. Olivia also serves as the Estates Chair for the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and on the advisory board of Changing How Individuals Prosper (CHIP).

Ms. Stacy Williams Hanley Related Seminars and Products

Lefkoff Duncan Grimes McSwain & Hass PC

Stacy W. Hanley is a Principal of Lefkoff, Duncan, Grimes, McSwain, Hass & Hanley, P.C. Ms. Hanley practices primarily in the areas of tax and estate planning, probate, estate administration, real estate and closely held business matters. She was admitted to practice in Georgia in 1999.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Stacy graduated from The Lovett School. Stacy then graduated magna cum laude from Washington & Lee University in 1996 with a B.A. degree in Classics and Economics. At Washington &Lee. She played on the first women’s basketball team, was a member of Kappa, Kappa, Gamma sorority and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma and Omicron Delta Epsilon honor societies.

Stacy graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1999. Stacy was elected to of The Order of the Coif, served as Senior Notes Editor for the International Journal of Comparative and International Law, was awarded The Real Property Law Section Award, and the Welborn B. Cody Scholarship.

Stacy began her legal career at Long, Aldridge & Norman, LLP in the commercial real estate group. Stacy then became General Counsel for Homes by Williamscraft, Inc., the homebuilding company started by her father, Wilmont Williams. When Stacy’s father unexpectedly died in 2015, Stacy experienced firsthand the complexities of the estate administration process for family businesses. Stacy then decided to join Lefkoff, Duncan, Grimes McSwain and Hass, P.C. so that she could utilize her practical and legal experience to help individuals and families navigate the estate planning and estate administration process.

Stacy has been a speaker for several estate planning and fiduciary law seminars at the State Bar of Georgia. She has also presented to the Atlanta Chapter of the “FSP” (Financial Service Professionals”), the GSCPA (Georgia Society of CPA’s) and to other individual groups on the topic of engaging women in the financial and estate planning process.

Serving her local community has always been important to Stacy. Stacy was a member of the Leadership Cobb Class of 2002. She has served on the Wellstar Health Systems Regional Advisory Board of Directors for Kennestone Hospital, the Board of Directors for the Dekalb County Development Authority and she served as Co-President of the Sarah Smith Elementary PTA. Currently, Stacy serves on the Northside Youth Organization’s Executive Board. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the Atlanta Bar Association.
 

Ms. Cherish Anne Dela Cruz Related Seminars and Products

MANELY FIRM PC

Cherish De la Cruz loves getting to know her clients and learning about their families, their businesses, and their lives. She designed her practice to include both estate planning, probate and small business law because she understands how much overlap there is in these areas —especially for first- and second-generation American families.

Cherish was born and raised in the culturally diverse city of Toronto. Her parents had immigrated to Canada from the Philippines, and growing up, Cherish saw firsthand how difficult it was for them to establish themselves in their new country. She was frustrated by how her parents were treated and realized that they could have avoided much of the hardships they faced if they’d only had good information and proper legal structures in place. That’s what got her interested in becoming a lawyer and ultimately focusing her mission of helping other families.

After earning her law degree, Cherish began her career as Public Defender in Florida. These formative years shaped her ability to proactively navigate the probate system. It also taught her that she’d much rather help clients prevent problems and avoid the expense and stress of going to court over routine estate matters. In 2006, she moved to Atlanta and took the position of Senior Counsel and Anti-Money Laundering Officer for Primerica, a publicly traded investment and insurance company. During her seven years there, she gained an expertise in supporting both small businesses and individuals and working collaboratively with financial advisors and cpas for the benefit of her clients.

In 2010, Cherish’s Aunt Luzbella was diagnosed with a rare form of Appendix cancer. Since she had no children of her own, she asked Cherish to help her in handling her affairs. At that time, Cherish specialized in Securities and Compliance law. She knew her Tita Luzbella needed a will, but she didn’t understand the full value of having a comprehensive custom tailored estate plan. A friend referred her to a general practitioner who drew up a will in less than half an hour. Unfortunately, Tita Luzbella’s quick and inexpensive will ended up costing everyone quite a lot in both money and heartache. Because the document wasn’t well thought out, it didn’t include many important details. This left the door open for family conflicts; assets going to creditors when they shouldn’t have; and a lengthy, complicated, and expensive probate process. It was a horrible experience—especially coming on top of the loss of her beloved aunt—but it motivated Cherish to leave her job in corporate law.

She experienced the importance of planning first hand when she was diagnosed with kidney cancer and experienced what she had preached (need another) to her clients all these years.  The reality and the  importance of “planning” in practice as a business owner, mother of three young children and daughter of aging parents. Through her extensive and wonderful network, she was able to see Dr. Viraj Masters at Emory Winship who helped her through her cancer journey.

 As a cancer survivor, and because of her own personal experiences, she can understand the emotional challenges and difficulties that each client faces when planning for death and the possibility of disability. She takes her own personal experiences and legal expertise to carefully and thoughtfully plan for the “what if’s” in life with all of her clients. Cherish came to the Manely Firm P.C. because their mission and values matched her own and she knew each of  her clients would be cared for.   

Mr. William Craig King Related Seminars and Products

The Manely Firm PC

Bill King is the Managing Attorney for The Manely Firm, P.C.'s Marietta and Columbus offices. Bill works directly on litigation matters, counseling and representing men, women, and children in state, interstate, and international family law matters. His practice includes divorce, marital property, custody, child support, alimony, and adoptions. Bill is also a key member of the Firm’s estate planning and probate law branch.

Bill has served as a student intern, runner secretary, receptionist, office clerk, paralegal, and law clerk for The Manely Firm, P.C. As a law clerk, he assisted on a number of complex international custody cases including cases in Costa Rica, France, Germany, Mexico, Scotland, and England. Bill also assisted Michael Manely as a law clerk on his United State Supreme Court Appeal.

Bill is a proud graduate of Georgia State University College of Law and completed his undergraduate studies at Reinhardt University where he played on the university's baseball team. Bill is active in his community and serves as a Georgia State University College of Law Alumni Board Member as well as a presenter for the Cobb Bar Association's CLE series on International Family Law views. He is active with the Kiwanis Club of Marietta and was recognized by Cobb Life Magazine as one of 2021, 2022, and 2023's Best of Cobb's "Best Individual Attorney" and 2022 and 2023's "Best Tax and Estate Planning Attorney." Bill was honored by Forsyth County News as 2022's Best of Forsyth's "Best Estate Planning Attorney" and again by Gwinnett Magazine as 2022 and 2023's Best of Gwinnett's "Best Estate Planning Attorney." Bill has also been selected as a Super Lawyer's "Rising Star" 2020-22 and an official Super Lawyer 2023. Finally, Bill was awarded by Savannah Morning News and SavannahNow.com as Best of the Coastal Empire's 2022 "Best Estate Planning Attorney" as well as leading the team to be recognized as a top-three finalists for Best of the Coastal Empire's "Best Law Firm."

Bill lives in Acworth with his wife Allison and their two children. William enjoys cooking, traveling, playing golf, and donating his time to pro bono efforts and non-profits.

Ms. Neeli Gandhi Shah Related Seminars and Products

The Law Offices of Neeli Shah LLC

With over 16 years of legal expertise, Neeli offers a distinctive blend of professional insight and personal understanding in her estate planning practice,  where she focuses on helping business owners with succession planning, estate tax minimization, and charitable planning.  Having moved from India to Alabama at age 13 and experiencing the loss of her father at age 2, Neeli’s life journey has shaped her deep empathy for life’s unpredictability.  Her upbringing in a blended family further ignited her passion for creating estate plans that are both legally sound and personally meaningful.

As a mother of two boys, Tej (11) and Aiden (7), Neeli holds family bonds as her highest priority in her personal life and legal practice. Her career path includes time at esteemed firms like Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP, and Abrams, Davis, Mason, Long, LLC (now Fox Rothschild), before founding her own firm.  Neeli blends the strategic acumen of large firms with the warmth and individualized attention of a boutique practice, building trusted relationships that extend far beyond the scope of legal advice. 

Ms. Lauren Albanese Bryant Related Seminars and Products

The Law Office of Lauren A. Bryant

Lauren Bryant graduated Magna cum laude from the University of Georgia in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. She attended Florida State University College of Law for the 2005-2006 school year, where she was a member of the Moot Court Team, the Journal of Transnational Law and Policy, and the Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law. Lauren transferred to Georgia State University College of Law in 2006 and received her Juris Doctor in 2008. After nearly 15 years with a small general practice law firm (which ultimately transitioned into an almost exclusively probate-focused firm), Lauren opened her own practice in late 2021 and continues to focus her work and advocacy on probate and estate planning matters.

Prior to law school, Lauren was a social worker and advocated for adults with developmental disabilities, while further solidifying her passion for advocacy and compassionate representation. In law school, Lauren worked as an intern for the Metro-Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, and the Georgia Advocacy Office, a non-profit specializing in assisting and advocating for individuals who are labeled as disabled or mentally ill. Her passion for advocacy led her to become a Guardian ad litem for numerous probate courts throughout the state (Gwinnett, Cobb, Fulton, Rockdale, Dekalb, White, and recently in federal court for the Northern District of Georgia), where she represents the interests of children and adults with special needs in varying litigation, guardianship and conservatorship, and probate matters. As of 2022, Lauren began work as a part-time judge for the Fulton County Probate Court, working to assist the Court with the backlog of cases resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. As a judge, Lauren is tasked with adjudicating both emergency and permanent guardianship/conservatorship cases.

Lauren received recognition from the Georgia Pro Bono Project in 2009 and 2010 for providing legal services for low-income Georgians. In 2014, Lauren was nominated by her peers and selected for inclusion in Georgia Trend’s annual publication, “Legal Elite”. In 2022, Lauren was selected as a Super Lawyers "Rising Star". Lauren has been a speaker and presenter at numerous CLE’s, covering topics pertinent to probate work and service as a Guardian ad litem. 

Since beginning her career, Lauren has represented Georgia clients in countless probate matters, including emergency and permanent guardianships and conservatorships, compromise claims for minors and incapacitated adults, probate and estate administration, year’s support petitions, petitions to determine heirs, and numerous unusual probate matters. Lauren also has extensive experience drafting complex estate plans, and has a special passion for preparing special needs trusts.

Lauren is very tall, but she has never played basketball. She lives in Suwanee with her husband, three children, a cat, and a dog. In her free time, which is rare, she enjoys listening to true-crime podcasts, watching Unsolved Mysteries and British crime dramas, and scouting the local thrift stores.

Ms. Heather Durham Nadler Related Seminars and Products

Nadler Biernath LLC

Heather Durham Nadler is one of just 11 attorneys in Georgia to be certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation, as accredited by the American Bar Association. Her practice is concentrated in the areas of special needs law, elder law and estate planning. Prior to establishing her own law firm, Heather was a senior associate with the Law Office of Ruthann P. Lacey, P.C.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Heather attended undergrad at Auburn and received her J.D. from Tulane University School of Law, where she was on the editorial board of the Tulane Journal of International and Comparative Law. While in law school, she also clerked at the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia for the Honorable Justice Hugh P. Thompson.

Heather enjoys volunteer work, serving as a member of the board of directors for Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett. She was recognized by the DeKalb Volunteer Lawyers Foundation for her service with the 2020 Leading the Change Award. She also helps with Backpack Buddies, an organization that provides food for the weekend to economically disadvantaged kids in Dekalb County.

When she’s not working, Heather spends time with her husband and two children, keeping up with a busy slate of kids’ sports events, Auburn football and season tickets to the Fox Theatre. As a lifelong Atlantan, she looks forward to eventually retiring out of state—preferably someplace with water!