Advanced Elder Law Review Course Committee
Mission: Present the Advanced Elder Law Review Course to members biennially and make it a distinctive, high-quality, in-person educational event.
Charge:
- Support members looking for an intense, comprehensive overview of elder law topics in a two-day biennial program to support certification, either as a CELA or through a state certification program.
- Ensure course topics reflect the core areas in elder and special needs law.
Estimated Time Commitment: Committee members meet once to twice a month and spend 4 volunteer hours monthly attending committee meetings and planning/coordinating sessions ahead of the in-person program.
Term: One year
Annual Conference Planning Committee
Mission: Ensure a distinctive, high-quality, in-person educational event of interest to all NAELA members.
Charge:
- Implement the directives of the Programs and Publications Steering Committee.
- Develop high-quality programming consistent with NAELA’s mission and member value priorities, with topics that address the many areas of practice within elder and special needs law.
- Include innovative learning opportunities that take into account different learning styles.
Estimated Time Commitment: Committee members meet once to twice a month and spend 4 volunteer hours monthly attending committee meetings and planning/coordinating sessions leading up to NAELA’s Annual Conference.
Term: One year
Council of Advanced Practitioners (CAP) Steering Committee (CAP Membership Required)
Mission: Further the education of highly experienced NAELA members who have been accepted into CAP.
Charge:
- Develop articles, webinars, and programming at an advanced level to further the learning of CAP members.
- Continue to grow and develop leaders within CAP to serve NAELA.
Estimated Time Commitment: Committee members spend 8–12 volunteer hours annually attending committee meetings. Some members may provide an additional 2–4 hours of volunteer time as needed planning for CAP in-person events that happen annually.
Term: One year
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee
Mission: Champion diversity, equity, access, and belonging as essential to excellence in elder law, create an inclusive professional community, and ensure that all older adults and individuals with disabilities — especially those from underserved populations — have meaningful access to compassionate, high-quality legal representation.
Charge:
- Promote recruitment, retention, and leadership development of attorneys from underrepresented and historically marginalized communities.
- Identify disparities in access to elder law services and propose strategies to reduce those gaps.
- Support initiatives that expand outreach to underserved communities.
- Advise NAELA leadership on embedding diversity, access, inclusion, and belonging into all aspects of the organization, including programming, publications, conferences, and governance.
Estimated Time Commitment: Committee members spend 2–4 volunteer hours annually attending committee meetings. Some may provide an additional 2–4 hours of volunteer time as needed reviewing public statements, sharing information, or similar activities.
Term: One year
Federal Advocacy Committee
Mission: Guide NAELA’s advocacy initiatives.
Charge:
- Recommend biannually for Board consideration NAELA Public Policy Priorities that focus specifically on tangible, measurable, and achievable deliverables that are important to NAELA members and their clients.
- Approve strategies designed to attain NAELA Public Policy Priorities.
- Assess proposed regulations and other opportunities for input as they become available and respond to those opportunities with NAELA’s unique expertise.
- Make recommendations to the NAELA Foundation Board of Trustees regarding regulatory advocacy funding requests.
Estimated Time Commitment: Committee members spend 1–2 volunteer hours monthly attending committee meetings. Some may provide an additional 2–4 hours of volunteer time as needed reviewing public statements, sharing information, or similar activities.
Term: One year
International Committee
Mission: Create international travel opportunities for NAELA members to visit other countries to learn about unique legal systems.
Charge:
- Work with an outside vendor, CLE Abroad, that will propose country and travel itineraries for committee selection.
- Promote details of each year’s trip to NAELA members.*
* In exchange for coordinating and promoting the trip, NAELA will receive compensation upon meeting an agreed-upon number of bookings.
Estimated Time Commitment: Committee members spend 4–8 volunteer hours annually attending committee meetings.
Term: One year
Litigation Committee
Mission: Manage NAELA’s litigation initiatives.
Charge:
- Implement the directives of the Public Policy Steering Committee.
- Oversee any litigation in which NAELA is participating.
- Make recommendations to the NAELA Board of Directors regarding participation as amicus in pending litigation.
- Make recommendations to the NAELA Foundation Board of Trustees regarding litigation advocacy funding requests.
Estimated Time Commitment: Committee members spend 4–8 volunteer hours annually attending committee meetings. Some may provide an additional 2–4 hours of volunteer time as needed reviewing public statements, sharing information, or similar activities.
Term: One year
NAELA Journal Editorial Board
Mission: Produce a scholarly publication for NAELA members and law libraries that provides a substantive, in-depth look at topics of interest in elder and special needs law. NAELA Journal is published electronically twice a year and in print once a year.
Charge:
- Identify article topics of importance to elder and special needs law and find potential authors.
- Review and edit article submissions, working with authors to bring high-quality articles to publication.
- Write/co-write one or more articles for publication.
Estimated Time Commitment: Committee members meet once a month and spend 12 volunteer hours annually attending committee meetings. Members may provide an additional 2–4 hours of volunteer time as needed reviewing, editing, and/or writing articles.
Term: Two years
NAELA News Editorial Board
Mission: Produce a high-quality publication that provides relevant and timely information for NAELA members. NAELA News is published quarterly.
Charge:
- Identify article topics and potential authors.
- Review and edit article submissions, working with authors to bring high-quality articles to publication.
- Write/co-write one or more articles for publication.
Estimated Time Commitment: Committee members meet once a month and spend 12 volunteer hours annually attending committee meetings. Members may provide an additional 2–4 hours of volunteer time as needed reviewing, editing, and/or writing articles.
Term: Two years
Programs and Publications Steering Committee
Mission: Ensure that NAELA is the leading provider of educational content for elder and special needs law attorneys.
Charge:
- Coordinate, implement, and update NAELA’s educational plan, with a focus on publications, in-person national meetings, virtual education, and online content.
- Provide guidance on expectations and priorities and oversee specific program committees.
- Evaluate, study, and monitor the content needs of the Academy and suggest additions, changes, or modifications as needed based on a program matrix.
- Establish a meeting schedule with locations and dates two to three years in advance, and with major meetings rotating across the country as appropriate.
Estimated Time Commitment: Committee members spend 3–8 volunteer hours monthly attending committee meetings, reading information about upcoming plans, and reviewing reports.
Term: One year
Online Learning Subcommittee
Mission: Develop webinars on all levels of elder and special needs law.
Charge: Deliver 6–8 high-quality webinars per year.
Estimated Time Commitment: Committee members spend 4–6 volunteer hours annually attending committee meetings and coordinating webinars.
Term: One year
State Advocacy Committee
Mission: Enhance state chapter advocacy engagement and impact.
Charge:
- Foster dialogue among and between NAELA chapters on both issues related to developing an advocacy program and specific policy issues that exist at the state level.
- Communicate NAELA national advocacy updates and requests for action to membership.
- Recommend to the Board ways to enhance chapter advocacy engagement and impact.
Estimated Time Commitment: Committee members spend 1 volunteer hour monthly attending committee meetings and webinars. Some may provide an additional 2–4 hours of volunteer time as needed reviewing public statements, sharing information, or similar activities.
Term: One year
APPLY FOR A COMMITTEE TODAY