This program is eligible for 3 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states. In 50-minute states, this program is eligible for 3.6 hours of CLE credit. Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules.
Overview
This practical CLE program brings together leading practitioners to examine how attorneys interact with clients, fiduciaries, and financial institutions across the lifecycle of estate planning and administration. Designed for attorneys who routinely navigate these relationships, the course focuses on improving communication, minimizing conflict, and addressing common breakdowns before they escalate.
The program begins with a multi-disciplinary look at the attorney-client relationship in core planning areas. Presenters will explore the nuances of working with clients in the context of powers of attorney, trusts, and estates, offering guidance on managing expectations, identifying risk points, and maintaining clarity in decision-making.
The discussion then shifts to the role of financial and fiduciary institutions, highlighting practical considerations when coordinating with banks, trust companies, and other entities. Attendees will gain insight into institutional perspectives, common friction points, and strategies for more effective collaboration.
An interactive panel will follow, featuring real-world problem areas and hypotheticals that illustrate where miscommunication and procedural missteps often occur. Panelists will walk through these scenarios, offering practical solutions and best practices drawn from experience.
The program concludes with a focused discussion on the keys to better professional interactions, emphasizing clear communication, thorough documentation, and proactive collaboration as essential tools for successful client and fiduciary relationships.
Participants will leave with actionable strategies to strengthen their practice, enhance client service, and reduce the likelihood of disputes in estate planning and administration.
Recorded in June 2026.
Faculty
Michael Cherewka, Esq.
Mr. Cherewka is the founder of the Cherewka Law, P.C., in Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania, established in 1989. He holds an undergraduate degree in accounting from Bucknell University (BSBA, cum laude, 1978) and his juris doctor from the Dickinson School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1981). Mr. Cherewka’s practice emphasizes business planning (Including formation, reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions, succession and exit planning), estate planning, Elder Law, Estate and Trust Administration and real estate matters (including title insurance). In addition, he advises churches, ministries, trade associations, and other nonprofit organizations on tax and other Pennsylvania legal matters. Mr. Cherewka has served on the boards of directors of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations and the Keystone Partnership. He is a past chairman of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania affiliate of the American Heart Association. Mr. Cherewka is also the founder of Keystone Family Business Center, LLC, which consults with closely held businesses on succession planning, exit strategies and other business planning strategies; and Paramount Settlement Services, LLC; he is a Pennsylvania and Maryland Licensed Real Estate Broker. Mr. Cherewka has written various articles and is a contributing author of Strictly Business, Planning Strategies for Privately Owned Businesses (Quantum Press, 2002) and Pennsylvania Tax Service (Matthew Bender Co., 1986). He is a member of Wealth Counsel, LLC, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), the Elder Care Matters Alliance, and a past president of the Estate Planning Council of Central Pennsylvania. Mr. Cherewka is admitted to all courts in Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has lectured at DeSalles University and Widener University School of Law, is certified to provide Continuing Education credits by the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountants, the Pennsylvania State Board of lnsurance, and the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards; Mr. Cherewka is also certified to instruct Real Estate Continuing Education in Pennsylvania and was an instructor at the Institute of Real Estate Studies, and has presented seminars and workshops in Pennsylvania and nationally for such groups as the Pennsylvania Institute of CPA’s, National Association of Fund Raising Executives, The Financial Planning Association, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Prudential, Wachovia and various estate planning councils.
Scott S. Small, Esq.
Scott S. Small is a Senior Vice President serving as the Senior Regional Fiduciary Manager for Wells Fargo’s Wealth & Investment Management Estate Services for its East and North divisions. Estate Services is responsible for the successful completion of the detailed and sometimes difficult day-to-day duties of estate and trust settlement, and Scott leads a team of experienced estate advisory specialist professionals from Washington, D.C. to Denver, CO who work closely with the decedent’s heirs and other advisors. Prior to joining Wells Fargo Bank in 2012, Mr. Small worked at BNY Mellon for 15 years where he held numerous positions, including the National Managing Director posts for BNY Mellon’s Estate Settlement and Administration, Life Insurance Trust Administration, Special Needs Trust Administration, Estate Tax and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax business segments. He also chaired two Regional Trust Administration Committees at BNY Mellon during his tenure there. Scott has been in the financial services industry for 25 years. While not currently practicing law, Mr. Small is admitted to practice law in both Pennsylvania and Florida. He practiced law for almost 10 years with two prominent national law firms before leaving private practice. Scott is a cum laude graduate of the University of Florida School of Law and a cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan. Scott is a past president of the Philadelphia Estate Planning Council and a past chair of the Probate and Trust Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association. He is a member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Sections of the Florida Bar, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Philadelphia Bar Association. Mr. Small currently is an elected member to the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Mr. Small’s provision of pro bono estate administration services to families who lost loved ones on 9/11 was featured in an article published in the September 2004 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. Scott is a frequent author and lecturer for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, and his revised chapter on “Choosing Fiduciaries” was published in the Fifth Edition of Estate Planning in Pennsylvania (PBI Press 2019).
H. Amos Goodall, Jr., Esq., LL.M., CELA
Amos Goodall has been practicing law in Centre County since 1976, and is currently affiliated with the eldercare and special needs planning firm of Steinbacher, Goodall Yurchak. Amos is certified as an Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation (NELF) where he served as President. Amos also served on the Elder Law Certifying Exam Drafting
Committee. He is a Fellow both of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (Retired) and of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), and is a member of the Special Needs Alliance, an organization of leading elder law and disability law attorneys located throughout the country. For fifteen years, Amos was a contributing author for Lexis Nexis “Tax, Estate Financial Planning for the Elderly” and “Tax, Estate Financial Planning for the Elderly: Forms Practice”. He has been recognized as a pre-eminent attorney by Martindale-Hubell since 1992 and has been named as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in the area of Elder Law by Philadelphia Magazine every year since that category was created. Amos has been recognized for a number of years in the list of Best Lawyers in America in the practice area of elder law, and was identified as the Best Elder Lawyer in central Pennsylvania. In 2016, Amos was appointed to the Advisory Council of the Center for Excellence in Elder Law at Stetson University College of Law. Amos is a member of the PA General Assembly–Joint State Commission on Decedents’ Estates Laws; The PA Bar Association, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, Inc., Board of Directors; The American Bar Association, Military Pro Bono Project, “Operation Standby”. Most recently, Amos was appointed to the disciplinary and ethics commission (DEC) of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFB Board) and its Competency Commission. Amos received his bachelor of arts degree from Franklin and Marshall College, his juris doctor from Fordham University School of Law, and his LL.M. in Elder Law from Stetson University. As a long time resident of Centre County, Amos’ many community service commitments include the Centre County Community Foundation Board of Directors; incorporator and solicitor with The Centre County Farmland Trust; Halfmoon Township solicitor; Foxdale Village agency solicitor; State College Friends School agency solicitor; Center County Bar Association, Centre County Legal Journal Associate Editor; University Baptist and Brethren church, church counsel. A 1974 graduate of Fordham University School of Law, he has practiced and been involved in the Centre County community since 1976. During that time, he has worked in a variety of matters from capital murder defense cases to class action prosecutions. His current clients include municipalities, banks and credit unions, large landlords, a retirement community, several homeowners associations, a number of businesses and many individuals. He is also solicitor to the Fraternal Order of Police Organization which includes central Pennsylvania police personnel. Mr. Goodall is a certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation and is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He advises persons and families with estate planning concerns, competency issues and estate administrations. For a number of years, he was solicitor to the Register of Wills. He was awarded an Estate Practice certificate by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Mr. Goodall’s practice has included a number of cases of first impression, including, in 1978, the first proceeding under Pennsylvania’s then-homicide by vehicle law, in 1992, the first proceeding under Pennsylvania’s current guardianship law, and in 1999, the first proceeding before the Pennsylvania Charter School Appeal Board. Mr. Goodall has clerked for a number of judges including a New York City Criminal Court Judge (now NY Supreme Court Justice), a Federal Magistrate (now U.S. District Judge, S.D.N.Y.) and the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Goodall studied at the American College in Paris, University of South Carolina and is a 1970 graduate of Franklin and Marshall College. Mr. Goodall has extensive involvement in community affairs. He has been solicitor to the Centre County Youth Service Bureau since 1977 and to the Centre County United Way since 1988. His community service awards include (1991) Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Service Award, (1992) Centre County Youth Service Bureau R. Paul Campbell Award, (1996) IOLTA Board Recognition Award, (2000) Clearwater Conservancy Award for Thompson Wood Project. With his children, he has been involved in serval international projects. A frequent lecturer on ethics and Elder Law topics, Mr. Goodall was a member of the Pennsylvania Judicial Inquiry and Review Board and is a Hearing Committee member for the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board.
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