Robert has wide-ranging experience in addressing the legal and financial issues of the elderly population and focuses much of his work on elderly clients with dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, and other debilitating illnesses. He is a founder of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and was elected as one of its first fellows. He also founded the Elder Law section of the New York State Bar Association, served as its chair, and was honored with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Robert’s clients come to learn that elder law is “more than just Medicaid” and is appropriate and necessary for individuals in all socioeconomic situations.

In 1985, Robert founded one of the first firms specializing in the field of elder law. Robert began working in elder law as a law student and then as a staff attorney at the Institute on Law and Rights of Older Adults of the Brookdale Center on Aging in 1978. He was a staff attorney at Legal Services for the Elderly until he left to assist in starting the Bet Tzedek Legal Clinic at the Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, which provides legal services to indigent elderly and disabled clients.

Representative Experience

• Represented a couple with an 18-year-old child on the autism spectrum. The parents became the child’s guardian for his person and property. Robert then took the steps necessary to qualify the child for programs and residences, which require Medicaid eligibility, and assisted in locating those programs. Robert also did the estate planning for the parents, as well as other family members, to assure that the child with the disability would be financially provided for but maintain eligibility for Medicaid.
• Represented a couple with a 50-year-old disabled son who had $1 million in accounts in his name funded by his parents when he was a child. Qualified the son for Medicaid, which was required for placement in the best community residence. Prepared an estate plan for the parents that provided for them for the rest of their lives, and for their disabled son and other children. The planning documents were drafted to provide for their son without jeopardizing his government benefits and ensuring he would be cared for even after their deaths.
• Drafted a prenuptial agreement for a client who wanted to protect her assets for the benefit of her disabled sibling. Worked with her matrimonial attorney and her financial advisers to be sure that the team protected her assets.