Special Needs Trusts

Ms. Ruthann P. Lacey Related Seminars and Products

Trace Brooks Law LLC

Ruthann Lacey has been in private practice as an attorney for 30 years.  From the inception of her practice she has concentrated in Elder Law and Special Needs Law – a practice that is dedicated to the unique and complex planning needs of seniors, their adult children, their grandchildren, and individuals of all ages with special needs. 

Ruthann is an alumna of Trinity College where she earned a BA in piano performance, and Emory University School of Law, and is licensed to practice law in the State of Georgia and Washington, D.C.  She is a member of the Special Needs Alliance, a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), a member of the Council of Advanced Practitioners (CAP), and is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA). 

Ruthann belongs to the DeKalb Estate Planning Council and is actively involved with several volunteer and charitable organizations including Special Olympics Georgia and ALTA Wheelchair Tennis Leagues.  She serves on the Missions Committee at Westminster Presbyterian Church, is a past Director of the National Elder Law Foundation, a past Manager of the Special Needs Alliance, and for 17 years served as a Trustee on the Board of The Georgia Community Trust.

Ruthann is an active speaker on the local, state and national levels, to both professional and public groups and organizations, and is an editor and published author.  Engagements include serving as Program Chair for the twentieth annual Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia Special Needs Trust program; presenting at the Missouri NAELA Annual Elder Law Symposium; presenting at the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention; presenting at the Utah Elder Law, Estate Planning, and Medicaid Planning program; and presenting at Stetson University Special Needs Trusts - The National Conference.  She also has been an Instructor of Estates, Trusts and Wills and Legal Research at the National Center for Paralegal Training, and is an editor and published writer.

Among other accomplishments, Ruthann has been published in the Georgia Bar Journal and Family Law Quarterly (a publication of the American Bar Association), has appeared as a guest on the Clark Howard Show, the Layman’s Lawyer, Money Matters, Inside Money, and Atlanta Issues, and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Atlanta Journal - Constitution and the American Bar Association Journal.

Ms. Devon Amber Orland Related Seminars and Products

Georgia Advocacy Office Inc

Devon Orland has been the Litigation Director for the Georgia Advocacy Office since 2017.  Prior to accepting this role Devon served as the Senior Assistant Attorney General for the Georgia Office of the Attorney General where she served as Section Leader in the Civil Rights Litigation Section.

Peter H. Wayne IV Related Seminars and Products

Forge Consulting, LLC

Peter Wayne serves as General Counsel to Advocacy Trust and its affiliated companies, Forge Consulting, LLC and Advocacy Wealth Management (The Forge Companies). Peter also serves as a business development officer for Advocacy Trust LLC.

Peter originally served as a settlement planner for Forge Consulting, LLC from March 2009 until November 2011 and then returned to The Forge Companies after gaining experience as an estate planning attorney at Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP, a large regional law firm, and as an administrative and business development officer at Stock Yards Bank & Trust Company, both located in Louisville, Kentucky.

Peter’s various responsibilities include: providing general legal counsel to The Forge Companies; assisting Advocacy Trust officers with the administration of trust accounts; assisting Forge Consulting and Advocacy Wealth Management advisors with planning concepts and strategies; and helping executive management with the design, structure, and implementation of policies and procedures necessary to the successful growth of The Forge Companies.

Peter was a member of Louisville’s Business First Forty Under 40 in 2016, and while in private practice, was selected as one of Louisville’s “Top Lawyers” in the area of Elder Law by Louisville Magazine in 2014. Peter is a frequent public speaker at local, regional, and national conferences and author of articles about estate planning, business succession, elder law and special needs planning matters.

In addition to his time with The Forge Companies, Peter serves on the Board of Pillar, a non-profit focused on providing support and housing to the disabled community of Kentucky. Peter also previously served as President of the Louisville Bar Association in 2020, and on boards of other non-profits in Kentucky, including Louisville Public Media.

Dana Lloyd Related Seminars and Products

Georgia Advocacy Office

Marisol Owens Related Seminars and Products

Georgia Department of Community Health

Marisol R. Owens is the Third-Party Liability (TPL) Director for the Department of Community Health (DCH) in the Office of the Inspector General.  She is charged with the daily supervision and oversight of various TPL Contracts that result in coordination of benefits so that Medicaid is the payer of last resort, Medicaid cost avoidance savings and recoveries. The TPL programs include Casualty and Estate Recovery, Trust Reviews, Accountings and Recovery, maintenance of the health insurance policies for the Department, Credit Balance Audits, and premium reimbursement programs such as the Health Insurance Premium Program (HIPP) and the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA). 

Marisol holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Marquette University, a Paralegal Certificate from Kennesaw State University, College of Professional Education, and completed Lead Academy. from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government Studies offered by the University of Georgia.  She also represents the Region 4 States in the Coordination of Benefits Third Party Liability Technical Advisory Group with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Ms. Kim Christine Martin Related Seminars and Products

Harrison LLP

Kim Martin is a trusts and estates attorney in Atlanta. Her practice focuses on estate planning for families with a disabled family member. Her areas of expertise also include guardianship/ conservatorship and divorce settlement agreements in cases that involve a child with special needs.
As the mother of two beautiful children, one of whom has Autism, Kim brings to her practice an appreciation for the unique challenges and joys of parenting a special needs child.
Kim was admitted to the practice of law in Georgia in 1999. She earned her law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1999). She has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Virginia (1990). 
Kim's publications include articles in Trusts and Estates Magazine and Family Lawyer Magazine. She is a frequent speaker on subjects related to special needs issues. Her appearances as a speaker include numerous workshops hosted by Families of Children Under Stress (FOCUS); the annual Special Needs Conference at Stetson University (October 2021 and 2022); the Chattanooga Estate Planning Council (October 2021); and the Estate Planning and Probate Section of the Atlanta Bar Association (December 2019).