Courtney Allensworth

Courtney Allensworth is a 2L at William Mitchell College of Law and a current research assistant.  Courtney began working for the Center in September of 2011.  So far Courtney has researched Medicaid eligibility and IOLTA accounts, health care directives and surrogate decision-making, as well as updated the National Elder Law Network bibliography on “Building an Elder Law Practice.”  Courtney presented a panel discussion at the Minnesota Elder Law Institute and represented the Center at the National Aging & the Law Institute in Boston, Massachusetts this fall. She is currently participating in the Elder Justice and Policy Keystone course where she is analyzing the structure of guardianship statutes and how their preference order for guardians functions (or does not function) to the detriment of LGBT partners.

 

Alissa Fischer

Alissa Fischer is a 3L at William Mitchell and a current research assistant.  She began working for the Center in March of 2012, and has been working on the annotations for the veteran’s guardianship bibliography.  Alissa has taken advantage of a multitude of opportunities in elder law at William Mitchell, including the Elder Justice and Policy Keystone, the Elder Law Workshop: Advising the Senior Client class, and writing her long paper in Elder Law.  Alissa’s paper focused on Federal and Minnesota programs that help or hinder the elderly from remaining in their homes and community.  After submitting this paper to the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys’ 2011 Student Writing Competition, she was thrilled to be awarded 4th place. Alissa is looking forward to continuing her involvement in elder law after graduation.

 

Preston Franzen

Preston Franzen, a 3L at William Mitchell and current research assistant, began working for the Center in May, 2010.  Preston has researched limitations of pre-employment personality testing under the ADA, municipal codes and zoning affecting the elderly and disabled, attorney client privilege with respect to  medical assistance applications, and emergency response plans for communities with high concentrations of aged and disabled residents. One of Preston’s greatest contributions to the Center was the documents he compiled relating to the origins of medical assistance in Minnesota.  His compilation of these statutes, regulations, DPW (now DHS) state plans and correspondence between DPW commissioners and Minnesota secretaries of state will be immensely helpful for researchers in the future. In addition, Preston edited the Center’s Spring 2012 newsletter.

 

Brenna Galvin

Brenna Galvin is a 2L at William Mitchell College of Law and a current research assistant.  Brenna began working for the Center for Elder Justice and Policy in January, 2012.  Prior to her employment, Brenna had the honor of representing the Center in Boston, Massachusetts for the National Aging and Law Institute.  She is currently composing a bibliography of international sources that analyze ethical issues in guardianship.  In addition, Brenna acts as a social media liaison for the Center.  Brenna is currently enrolled in the Elder Justice and Policy Keystone course, which has given her opportunity to advocate against the financial exploitation of elders through the development of an online toolkit, and placed her in an externship with Compassion and Choices.

 

Christine Jensen

Christine Jensen, a 2L at William Mitchell College of Law and current research assistant, began working for the Center for Elder Justice and Policy in June of 2011. Christine has researched topics such as durable powers of attorney, guardians, the Uniform Custodial Trust Act, unbefriended elders, mutual and contractual wills, and health care decision-making.  The products of this research have been used in scholarly articles and as resources for others online.  In addition, she is beginning an empirical study on unbefriended elders in nursing homes as well as helping to design a guardianship training course to be offered soon at William Mitchell.

 

Megan Kelly

Megan Kelly is a 3L at William Mitchell. She began working with the Center in January of 2012.  As a current student in the Elder Justice and Policy Keystone Course, Megan has done legislative research for AARP Minnesota on topics including: the treatment of felony neglect of vulnerable adults nationwide, guardianships in Minnesota, pooled trusts, and recent developments in the law regarding Medicaid recipients’ right to sue over state budget cuts to the program.  Megan is also working with her fellow Elder Justice Scholars to create a webpage to educate the public on financial exploitation of the elderly.

 

Holly LaBoone-Haller

Holly Laboone-Haller is a 2L at William Mitchell. She is currently enrolled in the Elder Justice and Policy Keystone course.  This course has provided Holly with the opportunity to work with fellow Keystone scholars to develop an online toolkit on financial exploitation of elders.  The course has also placed Holly in an externship with the Assisted Living Consumer Alliance. For her externship, Holly is researching laws and regulations regarding assisted living facilities throughout the country.

 

Kia Thrasher

Kia Thrasher is a 3L at William Mitchell College of Law and a current research assistant. Kia began working for the Center for Elder Justice and Policy in April of 2010. Kia’s research includes topics such as guardianship, health care reform, municipal policies, health care decision-making, end of life care and aid in dying, filial obligations to older parents, among many other topics. Through the Center, Kia has been given the opportunity to travel to Toronto, Ontario for the International Canadian Conference on Elder Law, where she and fellow research assistant Rachel Bakke gave a presentation analyzing grandparent’s rights. Additionally, the Center has provided her with the opportunity to work with the Vulnerable Adult Justice Project as a research assistant, where she researches issues regarding Vulnerable Adults. Kia is currently participating in the Keystone course, where she is researching whether nursing facilities may discriminate in terms of admission based on the fact that an individual is incapacitated and has no guardian, friends, or family to speak on behalf of their health care plans.