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 program is designed to address what happens when there is suspected abuse of a power of attorney for an elderly client and what to do about it from various perspectives. The program will look at issues impacting capacity, identifying factors of abuse, procedures to follow when abuse has been committed, comity issues, practical considerations and modern technology.
This program will discuss:
- What powers do POAs have in PA when the individual is elderly but not incapacitated ---and what controls and/or procedures should be in place if there is suspected abuse?
- What types of abuses have been identified, and how can clients be counseled so that such abuses can be avoided in the future?
- What happens when the principal moves out of state?
- Springing POAs versus durable POAs: the Pros and Cons of each
- POAs in the modern age: What happens with digital assets?
- Does PA recognize POAs from other states and/or countries?
- Bank preferences: Why does my bank not recognize a perfectly legal POA?
- The nuts and bolts of the PA POA statute.
Recorded in May 2025.
Faculty
Joseph Skwara, CFP®, CFS®
Throughout his career as a financial advisor, Joe has been making a significant difference in people’s lives. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner, he strives to help his clients achieve their financial objectives – prudently and thoughtfully – through a long-term relationship based on trusted and knowledgeable advice. “For over 30 years, I have been helping my clients make wiser, more aligned comprehensive financial decisions so they can reach their various goals and increase the quality of their lives.” For the past 25 years, Joe has been the local provider of the Ameriprise Financial Wellness program. Over the years, he has developed programs and helped financially stimulate, educate, motivate, and give advice to employees with companies such as McDal Corporation, Worldwide Jet Charter, Dow Jones, Schlumberger, SmithKline Beecham, Colonial Penn, CNA Insurance, Keystone Foods, Hill International, Comverse Network Systems, Raritan Engineering, CoreStates Bank, IBM, CHOP, Raritan Bay Medical Centers, and Christ Hospital, as well as members of associations and organizations. Joe has his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting from Rider University, CFP® (Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner), CFS® (Certified Fund Specialist), and is a registered investment advisor (RIA) of Ameriprise Financial. For the past 5 years, he also has been continuously selected as an elite NFLPA Registered Player Financial Advisor. Through his tenure, Joe has been numerously awarded Advanced Advisor Group status, Presidents Recognition award, and Million Dollar Roundtable. Joe is involved in and volunteers much of his time to multiple organizations including Financial Planning Association, Society for Financial Service Professionals, Estate and Financial Planning Council of Southern New Jersey, Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce, Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Moorestown Business Association, Society of Human Resource Management, Tri-State Human Resource Management, Human Resource Association of Southern New Jersey, Princeton Human Resource Association, NFLPA – NFL Players Association, NFLA – NFL Alumni Association. A lifelong resident of Burlington County, New Jersey, Joe was born in Trenton, grew up in Willingboro, and now resides in Southampton. When Joe is not helping his clients or volunteering, he loves spending his time with his wife, Myka and his children, Tyler, 27, and Morgan, 24. He also enjoys watching soccer, football, and visiting microbreweries. Joe is also an enthusiastic member of the Bucks County Blues Society.
Samuel B. Fineman, Esq.
Samuel B. Fineman concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning, trusts, estate administration and estate litigation along with commercial, business, right-to-publicity, defamation and internet law. He is particularly interested in the convergence of digital assets, social media and estate planning. Sam graduated from Cornell University with a degree in English. He obtained his J.D. at Widener Law School, and an LL.M. in Taxation and certificate in estate planning from Temple University Law School. At Cornell, Sam was a columnist for the Cornell Daily Sun where he claimed fewer than a “billion” readers; however, one of his fans was Carl Sagan. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for New Jersey, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Sam regularly lectures on estate matters for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. He has represented well-known broadcasters, celebrities and social media personalities in the arenas of defamation, copyright and right-to-publicity. Sam is known for a precedent-setting case allowing state right-to-publicity claims to proceed against internet providers in the Third Circuit as a recognized carve-out per the Communications Decency Act. His cases have been featured in Law.com, Newsweek, The New York Post, and Philadelphia Magazine. An amateur humorist and active member of MENSA, Sam edits and contributes to Proteus, the newsletter for Delaware Valley Mensa. Sam and his wife, Lynn Cohen, also an attorney, live in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Zachary Dolchin, Esq., LLM
Zachary R. Dolchin is an experienced trusts and estates attorney whose practice encompasses all facets of estate planning, estate and trust administration, tax strategy, and succession planning. He represents individuals and families in the creation of sophisticated plans tailored to their personal, financial, and philanthropic goals, and advises fiduciaries and beneficiaries throughout the complex process of administration. Zach also counsels closely held businesses on a variety of corporate and transactional matters, including, governance, ownership transitions, and planning for the next generation. He has significant experience representing agents under powers of attorney and litigating disputes involving fiduciary abuse, incapacity, and undue influence in Orphans’ Court. He frequently guides clients through contested estates, challenges to estate planning documents, and intra-family conflicts, offering practical solutions and strategic advocacy in emotionally sensitive situations. Zach holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation from Temple University Beasley School of Law. He earned his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law and his B.A. in Political Science from The Pennsylvania State University. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida, and is a member of the Probate and Trust and Tax Sections of the Philadelphia Bar Association, as well as the corresponding sections of the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida Bar Associations. Zach lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey with his wife and two children.

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