TAPER

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Speakers

Speakers coming soon.

If you would like to speak at an upcoming TAPER, please contact Amanda Ross at 877-299-0326 ext. 5453.

Adrianne Peters Sipes, Esq.

Attorney | Compass Estate Planning & Elder Law
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Attorney Peters Sipes was born and raised in Clearfield. After graduating from Clearfield High School, she went to Clemson University, where she was a member of the Calhoun Honors College and Pre-Law Society. Through an intensified course load and extreme dedication to her studies, she was able to complete her undergraduate degree in Communication Studies, with minors in Legal Studies and Psychology, in three years. She remains an avid fan of the Clemson Tigers and takes pride in being an alumnus of the University.

Following graduation, she entered Law School where she was a member of the Student Bar Association Senate and ultimately served as Vice President, and subsequently, President of the Student Bar Association. Additionally, while in Law School she volunteered her time with the Teen Court Program, assisted pro-se litigants in navigating divorce and custody proceedings, reviewed files and provided case law research for the Actual Innocence Project, represented indigent clients while interning with Legal Services, and took part in a comparative children’s rights seminar in Tanzania.

She then returned to her hometown and successfully passed the Pennsylvania Bar Examination receiving her license to practice law. Within a week of receiving her license, she was in the courtroom advocating for her clients in civil and criminal matters, which she has done for the past twelve years.

Attorney Peters Sipes is actively involved in the Clearfield County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations. She is currently the President of the Clearfield County Bar Association. She has also served in the Pennsylvania Bar Association House of Delegates for the past seven years, and currently holds the position of Zone 11 At-Large Delegate. Additionally, she is on the Executive Council of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyer’s Division, serving as Zone 11 Co-Chair. She volunteers her time serving on the Board of Directors for both the Clearfield Soccer Association and Children’s Aid Society. She also is the coordinator for the Clearfield Soccer Association Pee Wee Soccer program. She is a lifelong member of the Mountain Top Larger Parish and has previously served as a Deacon for Grace United Presbyterian Church in Glen Richey assisting in mission projects both locally and internationally.

Alan L. Hougum, Esq.

Owner | Hougum Law Firm, LLC
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Alan L. Hougum grew up in Edgar, Wisconsin, just off of County Road N. He attended undergraduate school at UW-Madison, and worked as a forklift driver and a textbook salesman in Texas between semesters to pay for school. After graduating cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, Alan returned to central Wisconsin to practice in the areas of Estate Planning and Elder Law. In 2013, Alan opened Hougum Law Firm, LLC in Wausau. A satellite office in Rhinelander opened in 2021. Alan has been practicing law for more than twenty years, and currently resides in Wausau with his wife and two children.

Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Probate and Trust Administration; Business Law

Education: B.S., University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1995

J.D., University of Minnesota Law School; (cum laude) 1999

Admitted To Practice: Wisconsin Supreme Court

Bar Associations: American Bar Association, State Bar of Wisconsin, Minnesota State Bar Association, Marathon County Bar Association

Civic Activities:
Camp HOPE, Counselor
Camp HOPE, Director
Legal Assistance to Military Personnel, Volunteer
Junior Achievement, Project Business Consultant
Legal Assistance at the Marathon County ADRC, Volunteer
United Way, Group Leader
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of North Central Wisconsin, Big Brother
Marathon County Public Library Foundation, Board of Directors

Amanda Bossow

Head of Education | Lawyers with Purpose
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Amanda Bossow joined Lawyers with Purpose in November 2017 as an Implementation Specialist, however she was with a member firm for around 6 years in which she wore many hats such as Client Services, Marketing, and Medicaid Coordinator. Amanda was responsible for implementing the LWP Systems within the firm as well as maintaining the processes and procedures beyond implementation. She has had the opportunity to work with and be coached by many of our past and present LWP Staff and jokes she ‘drank the LWP kool-aid’ many years ago.

Being an implementation specialist is a true passion of Amanda’s. She enjoys working with attorneys and their teams to see a bigger and brighter future in which they can be more efficient and profitable as well as have a steady work/life balance. Having worked in a member firm, she’s learned first hand the trials and tribulations along with the amazing and fulfilling successes from following the darn system. Amanda understands implementing a new system isn’t easy, but she strives to help members see how much they can enjoy their practice when they let the system work for them vs. them working the system.

Amanda lives in Nebraska with her husband and two daughters on one of her family owned farm places meaning she may have cattle roaming past her office window from time to time. You can often find the Bossow family fishing, hunting, camping, or four-wheeling on the weekends. Amanda, herself, enjoys reading and writing and aspires to be a published author someday.

Andrew Beacock

Chief Technology Officer | Guidr
Bethany Mackey

Bethany Mackey

COO | Lawyers with Purpose

Briana Moriarty

Head of Professional Services | Lawyers with Purpose & Estate Planning Law Center
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Briana Moriarty is the Operations Manager for The Estate Planning Law Center, yet she is not a lawyer. Does this surprise you? If you have met Briana, probably not.

Briana comes from a large family. A Sunday meal consisting of 14 family members would be considered poorly attended. She was particularly close to her grandparents, who instilled in her the conviction that if you know what you want in life, and work hard, you will attain your goals. Briana’s career is a testament to this invaluable lesson.

Briana joined EPLC in the Client Services Department. She moved on to Marketing, and eventually began hosting workshops. She has done plenty of back office work as well, from funding to handling Medicaid and probate matters.

Now, as they say, Briana runs the show… in this case, two shows.

Briana derives a great deal of personal and professional satisfaction from maintaining an environment in which attorneys and staff have everything they need to help the firm’s clients succeed. Her experience in all aspects of EPLC’s operation gives Briana the knowledge and skills necessary to do so.

Born and raised in Central New York, Briana received her Bachelor of Science degree from SUNY College at Oneonta, where she majored in History. Briana earned her Master of Education degree from the University of Phoenix in March, 2011. In many ways, as Operations Manager of both LWP and EPLC, she is still a teacher today.

When Briana is not working, she can be found in the company of family and friends. She also enjoys shopping for the latest fashion trends, especially shoes and handbags.

Brittney Shearin

Head of Product | Legal Technical Attorney | Lawyers with Purpose

Bryn Simpson

Head of Experience | Lawyers with Purpose

David J. Zumpano

Founder | Lawyers with Purpose
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Dave Zumpano was born and raised in Central New York. He began his professional career with Price Waterhouse and later graduated from Syracuse College of Law.

Dave’s firm, The Estate Planning Law Center, David J. Zumpano CPA, Esq., has served as a “model firm” for more than one thousand law firms across the country. Dave’s approach is based, in part, on his application of concepts from The E-Myth by Michael Gerber.

Dave built the first cloud-based Law Practice Management System integrated with documentation creation software for estate, Medicaid and asset protection planning law firms. It has transformed the way law firms are run and interact with clients technologically, and has been implemented by hundreds of law firms nationwide.

In 2001, Dave founded Medicaid Practice Systems, LLC (MPS). He is known as the founder of the Medicaid Practice Industry, which began with his innovative Medicaid Practice Program that educated attorneys across the country on how to add Medicaid planning to their estate planning and elder law practices. In 2012, Dave transformed MPS into Lawyers with Purpose, LLC, where he continues to help attorneys from all backgrounds create proficient, profitable practices that protect the personal and financial freedom of families.

Dave has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and on National Public Radio. He is a regular speaker and trainer on the application of cutting-edge technologies to estate planning, asset protection, Medicaid planning, and law practice management. His unique approach has been adopted by many national, regional, and local legal organizations, as well as banking and financial institutions.

Dave is also credited with changing the way the estate planning industry uses trusts for common law asset protection and Medicaid planning, as memorialized in his scholarly law review Irrevocable Pure Grantor Trusts: The Estate Planning Landscape Has Changed (Syracuse Law Review Vol. 1 Fall 2010). His expertise in Medicaid planning was further exemplified when, in 1994, Dave published What Hard Work Giveth, the Nursing Home Taketh Away: Asset Preservation Under Medicaid (the Digest, 1994-95). He wrote Estate Recovery; What Can and Can’t They Get, which has been presented in many forums across the country. In 2015, Dave authored Protect Your IRA, Avoid the 5 Common Mistakes, a contributory book offering for estate planning attorneys.

Dave’s first priority and passion is his wife, Christine, and their children, Maria, Olivia, and Angelo.

Erach Screwvala, Esq.

Legal Subject Matter Expert | Lawyers with Purpose
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Screwvala LLC, a legal business working with clients in the theater, book publishing, and music businesses and an estate planning and elder law practice helping families establish sound, long-term estate plans as well as planning for long-term care costs. On the entertainment side of the business, I work with individuals and companies engaged in the motion picture, live stage theater, book publishing, and music businesses. I counsel clients on locating and clearing rights, copyright issues, and production financing. I also negotiate and draft contracts on a wide range of issues, including acquisition agreements, talent agreements, collaboration agreements, publishing and recording contracts, and prepare financing documents.

The estate planning business focuses on helping families design plans to ensure that their personal family wealth is passed down to successive generations the way they want, with a minimum of interference from the court system. We also work with families concerned about protecting their wealth from the cost of long-term care.

Specialties:
Intellectual Property
Theater and Theatrical Financing
Motion Picture Production
Music Licensing and Recording Contracts
Book Publishing Agreements
Talent Agreements
Collaboration Agreements
Rights Acquisitions
Copyright Law
Trademarks
Business Formation
Estate Planning and Design
Elder Law/Long-term Care Planning

Kyle Madigan

Director of Operations | Estate Planning Law Center
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Kyle Madigan was born and raised in Central New York. He graduated from Ilion High School. He went on to receive his degree from Herkimer College, majoring in Paralegal Studies. Throughout and after college, Kyle remained local, operating his family’s restaurant business.

Kyle joined the Estate Planning Law Center in April of 2018, beginning his career as our Funding Coordinator Paralegal. He is eager to build close relationships with our new and existing clients. From personal experiences, what Kyle loves most about his position at the Estate Planning Law Center, is his ability to help local families protect what they’ve worked extremely hard for during their entire lives, so that it is not lost to the government or other institutions.

When Kyle is not working, he can be found spending time with family, friends, or his (very) badly-behaved cats. In his down time, he enjoys cooking, watching football, trying new restaurants, and traveling to new places.

Lisa Burline-Roser

Head of Marketing | Lawyers with Purpose

Pam Jordan

CEO & Founder | Pivot Business Group

Phil Miner

Subject Matter Expert | Lawyers with Purpose
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Phil Miner enjoys helping attorneys have a more successful practice and improve their ability to help more people. Phil has 10 years of experience assisting attorneys improve their estate planning and elder law practices.

Phil started in the legal industry as the Member Services Director for Medicaid Practice Systems. He is highly looked upon by his clients and colleagues, and has helped develop several educational programs for attorneys. This has helped Phil to be endorsed by several attorneys in the area of estate planning, leadership and development, asset protection, small business development, elder law, Medicaid, and team building.

This did not come easy, as Phil has always prided himself on the results that he has helped others to accomplish. Phil is proud to say that he has helped attorneys reach record revenues, increase their efficiency, implement their systems and processes successfully, and overcome obstacles and challenges to find greater joy in their practice. Phil also understands the struggles that both the entrepreneur and the team struggle with, as he has been on both sides of the fence.

Phil received his bachelor’s degree in Business and Public Management from SUNY Institute of Technology in Marcy, New York. He has been through the Landmark Education Program, has taken several courses on communication and leadership and development, and has sat in on some of the best Medicaid and Elder law courses in the country. While he is not an attorney, he has a lot of helpful insight that can support attorneys and point them in the right direction.

Phil will help hold you and your team accountable to the results you want to achieve. He will help you find ways to track vital statistics and information within your firm. He has helped several firms to better utilize their database management systems and practice management software. He will make sure you are not running your practice blind by teaching and setting you up to properly track and analyze results to make better business decisions, improve efficiency, and waste less time and money.

Phil commonly identifies something his clients don’t see that makes the difference in them reaching their goals, objectives, and allows them to reach their goals and build for the future. He will listen with compassion, genuine caring, and spiritual commitment to support others in making breakthroughs and solve problems. Phil inspires people to take effective action to produce more hope, joy, and happiness in their lives.

Shawn Harper

Bridge Builders International

Zoey Vecellio

Director of Operations | Hougum Law Firm
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Zoey Vecellio joined the Hougum Law Firm team in 2015. Prior to that, she worked nearly twenty years as a long-term care facility administrator. Her career shift was a natural one as she continues to advocate for seniors and their families. As the Director of Operations she handles the day-to-day operations, human resources, training, and marketing for the firm as well. Zoey has many professional accomplishments but knows that all great successes are only achievable because of the team around her. She believes the smallest acts are often the most impactful in life and work. Zoey lives in Wausau, WI with her husband and 2 cats and also has an adult son who works as a Support Specialist at Hougum Law Firm.