Peck Bloom Spring 2009 Newsletter

Welcome to our inaugural online newsletter. We hope to use this new medium to keep you up to date on the latest news not only in our firm but in the elder law community as well. We welcome your feedback and feel free to subscribe your colleagues or anyone interested in the elder law field.

Though this year has been a difficult one on our economy, Peck Bloom & Koenig is continuing to perform at an exemplary level. We continue to put our clients and our community first, serving as leaders in numerous charitable organizations and community activities.

Furthermore, attorneys Ray Koenig and I have displayed our dedication to the legal community by co-authoring two chapters, "Will Contests" and "Guardianship Litigation," in a new publication for practicing attorneys by the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. It was a tremendous honor to be asked to contribute these chapters to the publication, which is intended as a resource for the legal community.

We appreciate the continued confidence bestowed upon us by our colleagues, friends, clients and families and will continue to strive for excellence throughout these difficult economic times. At Peck Bloom we provide winning solutions in and out of the courtroom.

Very Truly Yours,

Kerry R. Peck

________________________________________

Kerry Peck Elected 2010 President of the International Network of Boutique Law Firms After Serving as Chicago Chapter Member

The International Network of Boutique Law Firms ("INBLF") is an organization of highly credentialed boutique law firms, hand-selected as prominent in each firm's respective field of practice. Each member firm practices, and has achieved preeminence, in only one or two specific substantive areas of practice. The purpose of the INBLF is to ensure that each firm's clients will receive only the very highest quality legal representation. To learn more about the INBLF, visit their website.

_________________________________________

Wishes Aren't Enough: Why the Five Wishes Document May Fail in Illinois

By: Ray Koenig III & MacKenzie Hyde

"The hospital told me that I should use the Five Wishes GENIE instead of a power of attorney for health care. Is it the same thing?"

Questions like this are increasingly being raised. The Five Wishes document was created by Aging with Dignity and purports to give effect to a person's medical, personal, emotional, and spiritual needs upon incapacity.1 Over the last few years, Five Wishes has gained great exposure and recognition by social workers, hospital staffers, and the general public as a purported living will and health care agency instrument. However, lawyers must examine the validity of the document to determine whether they should advise clients to use it rather than the statutory forms provided in the Illinois Powers of Attorney for Health Care Act and Living Will Act. This is especially true given the increasing number of older Americans who are turning to lawyers to help them plan for end-of-life decisions.

_________________________________________

Kerry Peck, Chairman of the Political Action Committee, Leads National Association of Elder Law Attorneys to Capitol Hill

The 2009 National Association of Elder Law Attorneys Annual Meeting, "A Capital Investment" will be held April 1through April 5, 2009 in Washington D.C. On the pre-day, April 1st, attendees will have the opportunity to attend sessions on Capitol Hill and visit with selected congrsssional staffers. The opening reception will be hald at the senate office building, a first for NAELA. To learn more about the event, browse the registration brochure.

MARCH: Calendar of Events

March 17: "Protecting Older Adults from Financial Exploitation"

12:00 p.m. - University of Illinois Chicago, 1740 W. Taylor, 1st Floor

*For More Information Contact:

Deborah Teven 773.633.0838

March 19: Roundtable on "Trusts, Guardianships & Financial Crises"

8:30 - 10:30 a.m. - Bernard Horwich Center, 3003 W. Touhy

*For More Information Contact:

Dennis Beauchamp 773.508.1139

10:30 p.m. - "The Senior Resouce Show: Featuring Peck Bloom"

Channel 21 CAN TV

March 20: "Contested Guardianship Estates"

1:50 - 2:50 p.m. - Illinois State Bar Association Trust & Estates Seminar in Springfield, Illinois

March 28: "The Senior Resouce Show: Featuring Peck Bloom"

11:00 a.m. - Channel 21 CAN TV

1:00 p.m. - "LGBT Health Care and the Law: Powers of Attorneys, Guardianship, Hospital Rights and Health Care Surrogacy"

Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St.
* For More Information Contact:

Serena Worthington 773.472.6469

This e-mail may constitute an advertisement or solicitation under state laws. This client newsletter is not intended as legal advice, which may often turn on specific facts. Readers should seek specific legal advice before acting with regard to the subjects mentioned here.

DISCLAIMER: This communication, along with any documents, files or attachments, is intended only for the use of the addressee and may contain legally privileged and confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of any information contained in or attached to this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and destroy the original communication and its attachments without reading, printing or saving in any manner. This communication does not form any contractual obligation on behalf of the sender or Peck Bloom & Koenig, LLC. Unless expressly stated otherwise, any tax advice in this message is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used by a taxpayer, for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. Please consult your tax attorney regarding the form of tax advice that may be relied upon to avoid penalties under the Internal Revenue Code.