Mark W. Worthington
Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts, PC
I have been in private practice exclusively in special needs law, elder law, and estate planning for 27 years. I have taught law school at the JD and LLM level since 2005, and recently stepped down as a full-time Professor and Director of the Graduate Program (LL.M.) in Elder Law and Estate Planning at Western New England University School of Law to return to full-time private practice as a partner at Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts, PC (“SNLG”). I continue to teach in the LLM program at Western New England as an Adjunct Professor.
Let me tell you more about Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts ("SNLG"). Most websites, including SuperLawyers, have no category for "special needs," or more accurately, "Special Needs Advocacy and Planning," which better than any other short phrase describes what SNLG does.
Special needs families comprise about 75% of SNLG clients. When we talk about Special Needs, we are generally referring to family members who have had some kind of disability or challenge since birth or perhaps from young adulthood, rather than simply aging into disabilities.
Disabilities don't discriminate: SNLG's Special Needs families come in all kinds, from the wealthy to the financially struggling.
The rest of the SNLG caseload is mostly complex elder law situations. A high percentage of SNLG Special Needs families also have either primary or secondary elder law issues in the mix, and just about all SNLG Special Needs families have estate planning needs – indeed, more significant estate planning needs than many other clients.
The Founder of the Firm, Attorney Annette M. Hines, and I have walked the walk. Between us we have raised a 27 year old daughter who was debilitatingly ill with chronic Lyme disease for 6 years, a daughter who was severely disabled since birth who passed away at the age of 17 in 2013, and a “typical” 18 year old.
- Elder Law
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
- English
- Senior Counsel
- Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts, PC
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- A law firm practicing exclusively in Special Needs Advocacy and Planning, Estate Planning, and Elder Law
- Adjunct Professor for Graduate Program (LL.M.) in Elder Law & Estate Planning
- Western New England University School of Law
- - Current
- Professor and Director of the Graduate Program in Elder Law and Estate Planning
- Western New England University School of Law
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- Courses taught: LLM - The Grantor Trust Rules; Medicaid; Estate Planning for Retirement Plan Benefits JD - Trusts & Estates
- Senior Counsel
- Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts, PC
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- A law firm practicing exclusively in Special Needs Advocacy and Planning, Estate Planning, and Elder Law
- Adjunct Professor
- Northeastern University School of Law
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- JD courses taught: Estate Planning
- Adjunct Professor for Graduate Program (LL.M.) in Elder Law & Estate Planning
- Western New England University School of Law
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- Courses taught: Federal Income Taxation of Trusts, Estates, & Beneficiaries; Advanced Elder Law II
- Of Counsel
- Oppenheim & Cole, LLC
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- Partner
- Smith Worthington, LLC
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- Attorney
- Mark W. Worthington, Counsellor at Law
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- Boston University School of Law
- LL.M. (2004)
- Honors: Rank 5 of 77
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- Northeastern University School of Law
- J.D. (1991)
- Activities: Clerked Vermont Supreme Court (Summer 1990) Clerked US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Judge William G Young (Summer 1989)
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- University of Rochester
- B.S. (1980) | Electrical Engineering
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- Outstanding Chapter Member of the Year
- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
- Member of the Year
- NAELA - Massachusetts Chapter
- Massachusetts
- Super Lawyers, 2008 - Present
- AV Rated Preeminent
- Martindale-Hubbell
- Ranked 10.0 "Superb"
- AVVO.com
- State Bar of Massachusetts # 560172
- Member
- Current
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- Leimberg Information Services, Inc
- Technical Editor
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- Activities: Special Needs and Elder Care Newsletter
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- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
- Tax Steering Committee
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- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
- Council of Advanced Practitioners
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- NAELA - Massachusetts Chapter
- Litigation Committee
- - Current
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- NAELA - Massachusetts Chapter
- Program Committee
- - Current
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- National Elder Law Foundation
- Certified Elder Law Attorney
- - Current
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- NAELA - Massachusetts Chapter
- Public Policy Committee
- - Current
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- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
- Member
- - Current
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- NAELA - Massachusetts Chapter
- Member
- - Current
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- National Elder Law Foundation
- CELA Exam Grading Committee
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- NAELA - Massachusetts Chapter
- Board of Directors
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- NAELA - Massachusetts Chapter
- President
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- NAELA - Massachusetts Chapter
- President-Elect
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- NAELA - Massachusetts Chapter
- Treasurer
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- "The SECURE Act and Special Needs Trusts" LISI Special Needs and Elder Law Newsletter #25
- Leimberg Information Services, Inc
- Issues Brief to Congress Regarding the SECURE Act
- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
- "2016 Special Needs and Elder Law Year in Review" with Attorney Annette Hines
- Massachusetts Lawyer's Weekly
- "New Rules for Home Sales are Surprisingly Pro-Taxpayer" Vol 142, #3
- Trusts and Estates Magazine
- "Last Chance for Tax-Free Sales?" BNA Tax Management Vol 23, #2
- Estates, Gifts and Trusts Journal
- Special Needs Unprogram, Special Needs Unprogram, Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
- Facilitator for trusts, tax, and public benefits topics, all-day program
- “Special Needs Trust Administration”
- Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
- Panelist on 3.5 hour program; presenter for segments on Taxation, SSA POMS 2018 changes
- “The Top Ten Tax Topics an Elder Law Practitioner Should Be Aware Of”
- National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
- Webinar with Attorney Gene M. Carlino
- “Recent Changes in Tax and Disability Law”, Annual Elder & Disability Law Conference
- Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc
- “Stuff We Most Want Newbies to Know about Special Needs and Elder Law”, Annual RPTE National CLE Conference, Boston, MA
- American Bar Association
- Boston Community Outreach Program on Disability and Medicaid Planning: Panel III with Attorney Elizabeth Lindsay-Ochoa
- Certified as an Elder Law Attorney CELA. 2004 - Present
- National Elder Law Foundation
