Guidelines for Article Submissions
Guidelines for NAELA News Featured Member Nominations
Guidelines for Submissions to Resources and Ask the Experts Columns
Letters to the Editor
NAELA News is published four times a year and has two complementary purposes: to seek out and publish information and diverse views related to elder and special needs law; and to communicate the activities, goals, and mission of its publisher, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.
The views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies of the publisher. Statements of fact are solely the responsibility of the author.
Guidelines for Article Submissions
NAELA News welcomes for review short (750-1,500 words) substantive articles on elder or special needs law topics, or news about NAELA. Articles should deal with timely issues, provide how-to information, or be about a recent event of interest to the elder and special needs law community. Articles may be based on the personal experience of the author or may involve research into a topic. Articles that offer a personal opinion or a certain perspective on a topic may be submitted and will be clearly marked as such.
News about products/services of interest to elder and special needs law attorneys will be considered if they adhere to the guidelines below for the Resources column or the Ask the Experts column.
- Submit an article proposal (brief summary or outline) or your completed article. Article length should be between 750-1,500 words.
- The focus of NAELA News is elder and special needs law. Possible topics include: preservation of assets, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, disability, health insurance, tax planning, conservatorships, guardianships, living trusts and wills, estate planning, probate and administration of estates, trusts, long-term care placement, housing and nursing home issues, elder abuse, fraud recovery, age discrimination, retirement, health law, mental health law, and client/attorney relationships. NAELA News also publishes articles relating to the business aspects of running a law practice.
- Articles may be based on the personal experience of the author(s) or may involve research into a topic.
- Authors are encouraged to use headings within the article to help organize information and enhance readability. Any charts, graphs, tables, diagrams, and checklists should be clean and complete. If providing images, they should be high quality and high resolution.
- The NAELA News Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board members review all submissions for appropriateness, and they provide direction to potential authors. The NAELA News Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any article. Author(s) will be notified if the outline/article submitted is acceptable or not, or if changes should be made for further consideration of the article for publication. Submission does not guarantee publication. NAELA News reserves the right to reject any article submitted for publication whether solicited or not.
- Articles will be edited for clarity and to fit the publication’s editorial style and length requirements. In addition, all first-person references and references to the author’s organization, products, or clients may be deleted at the editor’s sole discretion.
- Articles that offer a personal opinion or a certain perspective on a topic may be submitted and will be clearly marked as such.
- Authors should provide a brief biographical statement for publication in the article.
- The publication date of the article can be changed at the discretion of the NAELA News Editorial Board.
- Each author will be required to sign a standard author agreement that acknowledges the material submitted is authentic, and grants NAELA the proper permissions to publish such article. The agreement, however, does not change copyright, which is maintained by the author or authors.
Submit articles and article proposals to Susan Simolunas, NAELA Publisher.
Guidelines for NAELA News Featured Member Nominations
NAELA would like to highlight the important work our members do in serving older adults and people with disabilities.
Featured Member Selection Criteria:
- Has made meaningful contributions to serving older adults and people with disabilities, especially in underserved populations
- Illustrative of the diversity of NAELA membership
- Active in NAELA or NAELA state chapter
- Active in the elder and special needs law community as a whole
- In good standing with the bar of their state
- NAELA member for 3+ years
- 2-3 character references
Nominations should include:
- Name and contact information for person making the nomination
- Specifically, what the member has done to merit Featured Member selection
- City/State in which the nominated member practices
- Any other organizations the nominated member is affiliated with
Featured Members will be selected by the NAELA News Editorial Board. If selected, the member will be featured in a profile article written by a colleague (750-1,500 words). We also ask that the featured member write a substantive article for NAELA News (750-1,500 words).
Submit nominations to Susan Simolunas, NAELA Publisher.
Guidelines for Submissions to Resources Column or Ask the Experts Column
The Resources column is for vendors that are currently participating with NAELA as an advertiser, event sponsor, or exhibitor. It is used to announce products and services that NAELA members would find of interest in their practice of elder and special needs law. This could include news releases about new technology or services, upgrades, or other important announcements. Resources submissions are limited to 175 words.
Ask the Experts column is for vendors that are currently participating with NAELA as an advertiser, event sponsor, or exhibitor. It is used to provide information that NAELA members would find of interest in their practice of elder and special needs law using a question-and-answer format. Ask the Experts submissions are limited to 275 words.
All Resources and Ask the Experts submissions may be edited for space, clarity, appropriateness, and style in accordance with generally accepted editing principles and NAELA News style. NAELA News reserves the right to reject material that it deems inappropriate or to avoid duplication with other submissions. NAELA News reserves the right to publish accepted submissions from vendors as space allows.
Send column submissions to Susan Simolunas, NAELA Publisher. No more than one submission per year will be accepted from any vendor.
Letters to the Editor
NAELA News welcomes letters to the editor. The Letters to the Editor section of NAELA News is meant to facilitate free and civil debate among the readers of the magazine.
We will strive to publish as many letters as possible in the pages of NAELA News itself. Should we receive more letters than there is space to publish within the pages of the magazine, a representative sample of comments received will appear in print and a fuller presentation will be published online. (Space available for letters in the printed version of NAELA News is limited not only by the number of letters received, but also by the number of pages we print.)
There may be occasions when we are unable to publish a letter to the editor or must insist that the author edit its content, but this is never a matter we take lightly. We encourage vigorous debate and the presentation of a diversity of points of view but cannot permit the publication of materials that create exposure to potential legal liability for the author, NAELA, and/or NAELA News. Items that may trigger increased scrutiny include (but are not limited to) discussion of rates, calling for boycotts, making libelous statements, inflammatory statements targeted at individual members or groups, and other matters prohibited under antitrust, libel, or other governing laws. In these cases, there may be a need to restructure a letter.
Statements of fact and opinion contained in letters to the editor (in print or online) and within the editorial content of the magazine are and will remain solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily express the opinion or endorsement of NAELA or anyone connected with NAELA.
Submit letters to the editor to Susan Simolunas, NAELA Publisher.