Seminar Panel
MARTHA JO PATTERSON, ESQ., Geisler-Patterson Law
Martha is among an elite group of attorneys who is certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. She currently holds licenses with the State Bar of California and the California Department of Insurance. Martha is the author of The Nursing Home Dilemma: A Consumer’s Guide to Protecting Your Loved Ones While Preserving Your Assets, and is the author of an Alzheimer’s Care Planning presentation on YouTube. Martha is experienced in Wills, Trusts, Probate, Estate Planning, Trust law, Long Term Care Medi-Cal, and Veteran’s Benefits. For her clients, she provides Customized Legacy Protection Plans for asset preservation taking into account any challenging personal circumstances.
GERRY KANE, ESQ., Law Offices of Gerald L. Kane
Gerry has been practicing law in the San Fernando Valley for over 23 years and is a Certified Specialist in Estates, Trusts, and Probate Law. He came to estate planning through a background in finance, tax law, and real estate. Gerry attended the University of LaVerne, College of Law, where he graduated no. 1 in his class and received the American Jurisprudence Award for Wills and Trusts. As a dad with a child with special needs, Gerry has learned first-hand of the challenges parents face. He has advanced training in special needs estate planning, and is a member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners, and served on the Board of the Dubnoff Center, a pioneer in special education. Gerry is also a California licensed insurance agent, a Registered Investment Advisor and Holds a Series 7. He also is a member of Wealth Counsel and Elder Counsel and is an Emeritus Trustee of Granada Hills Hospital Foundation. Gerry is a lifelong resident of the Conejo Valley. GLK@EstPlan.com
LIAT COHEN, ESQ., Law Offices of Liat Cohen
Liat has been practicing law in the LA area for over 23 years. She began her practice in civil litigation and later evolved her practice to include business matters, trust administration and litigation, and entertainment law among other practice areas. She recently spent time working at the firm of Alperstein, Simon, Farkas, Gillin & Scott, LLP specializing in estate planning, probate, trusts, business and litigation. She also worked in-house for Lions Gate Entertainment in their Business & Legal Affairs offices from 2008-2012. Liat graduated from the Southwestern University School of Law and is active with the California State Bar. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley graduating with high honors from Chatsworth High School. She has a bachelor’s degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel and is fluent in Hebrew.
JEFFREY DAVINE, ESQ., Partner, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP
Jeff specializes in assisting nonprofit entities (and their donors) with their planned giving issues. He also advises for-profit clients with their tax issues, including tax controversy matters with the IRS, the California Franchise Tax Board, the California Employment Development Department, and other state and local taxing authorities. He received his B.S. degree (Accounting and Finance) from UC Berkeley, and his JD degree from the UCLA School of Law. During his career, Jeff served as the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the IRS and today he is a partner in the Tax Department at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP in Los Angeles. He has been recognized as a Southern California “Super Lawyer” (2004-06, 2009-2017) and has received an AV (Preeminent) Rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Jeff was also a featured presenter at the 2016 National Conference on Philanthropic Planning held in Dallas, Texas.
