This program is eligible for 1 hour of CLE credit in 60-minute states. In 50-minute states, this program is eligible for 1.2 hours of CLE credit. Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules.
Overview
This session will provide tips on what financial institutions are looking for when presented with powers of attorney and how to ensure a smooth process when presenting powers of attorney for use. The session will also address common scenarios where the scope of authority under a power of attorney is insufficient for certain financial transactions.
Recorded in September 2025.
Faculty
Alison T. Smith, Esq.
Alison Smith is a member at McNees Wallace & Nurick, LLC, in its Pittsburgh office, where she practices in the areas of estate and trust administration, fiduciary liability, estate planning and charitable organizations.Before joining McNees, she served as chief counsel at PNC Bank, providing legal support to the bank’s asset management group on legal matters relating to the administration of estates and trusts, charitable trusts and endowments, and fiduciary liability, and served as in-house counsel to the PNC Foundation and the Fund for Charitable Giving.Alison is an ACTEC fellow, a member of the Joint State Government Advisory Committee on Decedents’ Estate Laws and a participant in the Office of Elder Justice in the Courts Financial Institutions Working Group.She is a past chair of the PBA Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section and currently chairs the Section’s Pro Bono Committee.She has received several awards for her commitment to Pro Bono, including the PBA Special Achievement Award, Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University Public Interest Alumni Award, the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation Louis J Goffman Award and the SeniorLAW Center Oustanding Pro Bono Champion recognition.Alison received her J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law and her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Tennessee.
Rebecca L. Hagan, Esq.
Ms. Hagan is Managing Senior Counsel at PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and provides support to PNC’s Asset Management Group, advising on all aspects of trust and estate administration, with a focus on fiduciary litigation. Prior to joining PNC, she was in-house counsel at the Bank of New York Mellon. Before moving in-house, Ms. Hagan concentrated her practice in the areas of gift and estate tax planning and estate and trust administration, with an emphasis on probate and trust litigation. Ms. Hagan is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and currently serves as a Council member for the Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She received her J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Virginia.
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