Mr. Dale is a disability rights advocate and spends much of his time attending disability rights activities, including legislative hearings and serving on boards and committees of disability rights organizations. He is a frequent speaker on a variety of disability related topics across the country, and is the recipient of the 2007 NAELA Powley Award. Mr. Dale regularly teaches courses to the public, financial professionals, and other attorneys on special needs trusts and trust administration with a special emphasis on achieving independence while maintaining essential government benefits. He also offers trustee classes to his clients and professional trustees on how to administer special needs trusts. 

The Dale Law Firm, PC has an office in Walnut Creek with three full time associates dedicated to providing quality estate planning to clients by working cooperatively with the clients’ tax, financial and insurance professionals. 

Mr. Dale regularly teaches continuing education courses accredited by the California Department of Insurance and the California State Bar on estate planning, special needs trusts, pooled trusts, and tax planning.

Memberships

·         California State Bar

·         California State Bar Taxation Section

·         Contra Costa County Bar Association

·         Mount Diablo Estate Planning Counsel

·         National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

·         Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

·         National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Trust Special Interest Group Board of Directors

·         Special Needs Alliance

·         Contra Costa County Developmental Disabilities Counsel Board Member

·         Wealth Counsel

Publications

·         National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Quarterly -- Designating a Special Needs Trust the Beneficiary of a Retirement Plan

·         National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Quarterly – Use of 529 Plans in a Special Needs Trust

·         Exceptional Parent Magazine – Choosing the Trustee of Your Child’s Special Needs Trust

·         National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Quarterly – Designating a Special Needs Trust: A Three Step Approach to Maintain Benefits and Reduce Taxes

·         Continuing Education of the Bar – Revision of Chapter on Limited Conservatorships

Recent Presentations/Events

2009

·         Solano County SELPA – Special Needs Trusts and Limited Conservatorships

·         Estate Planning Council of San Bernardino – Special Needs Planning: “Team Planning” for Persons with Disabilities

2008

·         Pride Industries – Special Needs Trusts and Limited Conservatorships

·         OPTION in Supported Living – Special Needs Trusts

·         Parents Helping Parents – Special Needs Trusts

·         North Bay Housing Coalition – Pooled Trusts

·         Golden Gate University – Estate Planning

·         NAMI – Special Needs Trusts

·         Supported Life Institute 22^nd Annual Conference – Special Needs Trusts

·         Stetson College of Law Special Needs Trusts X – Special Needs Trusts as an Advocacy Tool/Working with Care Managers

·         NAELA “The Roadmap to Navigating the Disability Benefits Maze”

·         Spectrum Center Schools – Limited Conservatorships

·         Support for Families of Children with Disabilities – Special Needs Trusts and Limited Conservatorships

2007

·         North Bay Housing Coalition – Pooled Trusts

·         American Heart Association – Estate Planning

·         Support for Families of Children with Disabilities

·         Options Training Consumers – Special Needs Trusts

·         Golden Gate University

·         Roseville Unified School District – Special Needs Trusts and Limited Conservatorships

·         Estate Planning Council of Diablo Valley – Life Insurance

·         Harding Elementary School – Special Needs Trusts and Limited Conservatorships

·         Becoming Independent – Special Needs Trusts

·         Stetson Special Needs Trusts

·         Estate Planning Council of Diablo Valley - Taxes

2006

·         ALRP – Special Needs Trusts

·         Mission Valley SELPA – Limited Conservatorships

·         Golden Gate Regional Center – Limited Conservatorships

·         13^th Annual Contra Costa County Estate Planning Symposium – Continuing Education

·         Non-Professional Trustee training class – Special Needs Trusts

·         Wealth Council – Trustee training class

·         California Children’s Services

·         Solano County SELPA – Limited Conservatorships

·         Support for Families of Children with Disabilities

·         Supported Life Institute – Special Needs Trusts

·         Keller Williams Realty – Housing

·         CAC/SELPA – Living Trusts

·         Wealth Council – Special Needs Trusts

·         Clearlake Protection Advocacy – Special Needs Trusts

·         Family Rescue Network – Limited Conservatorships

·         Oakland’s Children’s Hospital – Charitable Remainder Trusts

·         DeAnza College – Special Needs Trusts

·         Golden State Pooled Trust – Utilizing Pooled Special Needs Trusts