Special Needs Chapter Meeting | How Special Needs Trusts in Your Divorce Decree Can Protect Your Child’s Financial Future
Description:
This session will explore important considerations divorce professionals should understand when working with families raising a child with special needs, including:
• First-party and third-party special needs trusts
• Planning for indefinite and future child support
• Protecting medical and educational decision-making rights
• Using GET HIPP reimbursement as part of negotiations
• Trustee considerations
• Enforcement language when support obligations are not met
Speaker Biography:
Leona E. Filis, Attorney, owner of The Filis Law Firm, P.C., in Houston, is an attorney who focuses her time and energy on helping families with children with special needs. Leona has built her practice by being a partner and a resource to parents helping them navigate through tough decisions regarding their child’s care.
Leona grew up in a Greek family spending much of her youth in the family-owned restaurants. After graduating from the University of Texas, Leona attended South Texas College of Law in Houston. When she passed the State Bar in 2002, Leona founded The Filis Law Firm, PC, as a general civil practice. Later, being that she lived in Houston, Texas, Leona began working in oil and gas law. Her personal life changed in 2010 when she received the diagnosis confirming her belief that her son, Jonathan, was on the Autism Spectrum. Since then, Leona realized that the niche of a Special Needs Attorney wasn’t being filled and that many parents were overwhelmed and uninformed regarding their medical and legal rights.
Her primary focus is to help, guide and educate parents and families of children with special needs. Leona and her staff provide free presentations to parent groups with information about Interest Lists for Medicaid Waiver Programs, SSI, local services and programs, Estate Planning, Supplemental Needs Trusts, Wills, Power of Attorney, Supportive Decision-Making Agreements, 529A accounts, transitioning into adulthood, Guardianship cases, and lesser restrictive alternatives. In addition to the monthly e-newsletters to her clients, Leona has a publication – “8 Steps to Consider When Raising a Child with Special Needs” and an article “Utilizing Section 504, IDEA, and Special Education”, The Houston Lawyer, January/February 2018. Her article was included in a compilation that won the 2017-2018 State Bar of Texas, Substantive Law Series of Articles Award for Special Needs Law & Advocacy.
Leona is active in her community with her volunteer work, including donations of hours pro bono legal services and funding of special projects. Her interests include charities that share her passion to help individuals with disabilities. She is on the Advisory Board of the Houston nonprofit S.A.F.E. Diversity Communities. Leona was honored to be the 2019 Chair for the 5th Annual Blue Carpet Scholarship Awards Gala for S.A.F.E. Diversity Communities and is named a 2019 Top 30 Influential Woman of Houston.
[email protected] · www.filislaw.com 713-462-1777 (office) 713-583-8323 (fax)
