AUDRA E. DEHAN, ESQ., ELECTED VICE PRESIDENT OF THE ESTATE PLANNING COUNCIL OF SUFFOLK COUNTY

Audra E. Dehan, Esq., founder and managing attorney of The Law Offices of Audra E. Dehan, has been elected vice president on the executive board of the Estate Planning Council of Suffolk County, in the 2016/2017 term beginning January 1, 2016. A resident of Commack, Ms Dehan concentrates her Melville law practice on estate and tax planning, asset protection, long-term care planning, estate planning for families with special needs, will and trust preparation, probate and estate administration, real estate, and elder law.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
The Estate Planning Council of Suffolk County, Inc., a member organization of the National Association of Estate Planning Councils, consists of attorneys, Certified Public Accountants, Chartered Life Underwriters, Certified Financial Planners and bank trust officers, all of whom are active in the field of estate and financial planning. The organization provides educational seminars, discussion groups, resources and networking opportunities for its members.

ABOUT AUDRA E. DEHAN, ESQ.
Admitted to practice law in the states of New York and Florida, Ms. Dehan works closely with accountants and other attorneys in the course of assisting her clients. This is especially true when creating special needs trusts, counseling families throughout the grief of losing a loved one, and long-term care planning.

Within her Surrogate’s Court practice, Ms. Dehan deals with probate, guardianship proceedings, estate administration, accounting and ancillary proceedings. She handles legal guardianship proceedings of parents applying to become legal guardians of their special needs children after reaching the age of eighteen, and has also been appointed as a guardian ad litem (a person appointed by the court to take legal action on behalf of a minor or an adult not able to handle his/her own affairs) in Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court in several estate proceedings.

Preparing for a special-needs family member when the original caretakers are no longer able to do so requires expert planning. As an offshoot of her knowledge in this specialized area of the law, Ms. Dehan is a frequent lecturer for local SEPTA (Special Education Parent-Teacher Association) groups, as well as professional organizations, including the Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Association Conference at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, and the Suffolk County Chapter of the Society of Financial Services Professionals, of which she is vice president on the organization’s executive board of directors.

Ms. Dehan, who is fluent in Hebrew, received her undergraduate degree from New York Institute of Technology and her Juris Doctor degree from Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center. She is a member of the Trusts and Estates Section of the Bar Associations of New York State and Suffolk County.