• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Potter Law Firm

North Carolina and Kentucky Estate Planning Attorneys

phone iconNC (704) 944-3245
KY (606) 324-5516
Attend A Free Seminar - KY Attend A Free Webinar - NC/SC THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT

  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
  • Practice Areas
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • Probate
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration
  • Elder Law
    • Coping With Alzheimer’s
    • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
    • Guardianship & Conservatorship
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Nursing Home Planning
    • Veterans Benefits
  • Communities We Serve
    • Kentucky
      • Boyd County
        • Ashland
        • Florence
      • Kenton County
        • Covington
        • Fort Mitchell
        • Independence
    • North Carolina
      • Mecklenburg County
        • Charlotte
        • Davidson
        • Huntersville
  • Resources
    • Cornelius, North Carolina Probate Resources
    • Definitions
    • DocuBank
    • Elder Law
      • Elder Law Links
      • Elder Law Reports
      • Local Elder Law Resources
        • Ashland Elder Resources
        • Covington Senior Resources
        • Huntersville Elder Law Resources
        • Independence Senior Resources
    • Elder Law Reports
    • Emergency Legal Documents
    • Free Estate Planning Seminars
    • Free Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Estate Planning
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • IRA & Retirement Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Medicaid
      • Pet Planning
      • Trust Administration & Probate
    • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
    • Kentucky Probate Resources
      • Ashland, Kentucky Probate Resources
    • Newsletters
    • North Carolina Probate Resources
      • Huntersville, NC Probate Resources
    • Reports
      • Advanced Estate Planning
      • Basic Estate Planning
      • Elder Law Reports
      • Estate Planning for Niches
      • Trust Administration
  • Contact Us
  • BLOG
Home » Our Firm » The Academy Fellow Designation

The Academy Fellow Designation

The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc. was founded in 1993 as an organization of estate planning law
firms dedicated to providing excellence in the planning process to families across America. Academy law firms have
continued to expanded their expertise and services offered in order to meet the demands of Clients.

In order to make sure Academy Members keep pace with the changing laws and evolving needs of consumers, the Academy
instituted a CLE Requirement in 2002 which requires 36 continued legal education hours per year to maintain their status as a
Member in Good Standing.

The Academy also offers a “Fellow” designation to members who meet additional rigorous standards set by the Academy, Board of
Governors and Education Advisory Board. This program was established to recognize members who have achieved a significant amount
of continuing legal education in the estate planning field and those who demonstrate actual practical experience in the total
estate planning, trusts, estate, guardianship and trust administration fields. A Fellow is designated for a period of five (5)
years and this designation must be recertified every five years according to the guidelines in existence at that time.

Membership and Education Requirement:

A Member is eligible to apply upon completion of 5 years of Academy membership. In addition, an applicant must show that they have
met the Academy CLE requirement for each of the five (5) years preceding the application.

Practical Experience for Designation:

An applicant must demonstrate that, within the five (5) years immediately preceding the initial application, he or she has been
substantially involved in the practice of estate planning, trust, probate and guardianship law. Substantial involvement in the area of
estate planning, trust, probate and guardianship law will be met if the performance of the following number of tasks in any four (4) of
the five (5) categories set forth below have been met (task may be counted in only one category):

Category 1. Thirty (30) tax planning matters, tax procedures, or tax returns, for at least twenty (20) separate clients. These may include,
but not be limited to: tax opinions, memoranda advice letters; tax-sensitive wills, trusts, or other dispositive instruments; audits or other
administrative tax examinations, ruling requests; and estate, inheritance, gift, fiduciary, or personal income tax returns;

Category 2. Fifty (50) estate and incapacity plans. Portions of a plan may comprise the following: wills, trusts, guardianship / custodianship
proceedings, documents of title, beneficiary clauses, property agreements, powers of attorney, advanced health care directives, gifts, powers of
appointment, disclaimers, planning for Medicaid, and other public assistance programs, creation of care contracts and various retirement benefit
plans. A single document may not be sufficient to comprise an entire plan. Multiple documents for a client, or for a husband and wife together,
which deal with the same matter would comprise a single plan;

Category 3. Forty (40) trust and estate administration procedures, for at least twenty (20) separate clients, for estate, trusts (court or
non-court), powers of attorney, advanced health care directives, custodianship, conservatorship, guardianships, spousal management procedures, or
other procedures under the Probate Code or other applicable laws;

Category 4. Completed transfers (non trust), by administration or otherwise, of a decedent’s assets upon deaths of forty (40) persons, including
tax issues, tax returns or tax basis problems in at least ten (10) of the completed transfers. These may include, but not be limited to: completion
of probate matters, guardianships, trust terminations, transfer of assets upon terminations of joint tenancy, and summary probate procedures,
including spousal property petitions and transfers of assets by affidavit or other small estate procedures; and

Category 5. Twenty (20) litigated matters, contested hearings, or Court proceedings which are in the nature of settlement of a matter relating to
any of the above categories, for at least ten (10) separate clients. These may include, but not be limited to: will/trust contests, determinations
of heirship, objections to accountings, fiduciary appointment/removal, creditors’ claims, constructive trusts, family protection proceedings, asset
ownership disputes, tax matters, elder abuse, creating estate plans with court oversight and approval, and amendment of or termination of an
irrevocable trust through Court proceedings.

Maintaining Fellow Designation During the five (5) year period

In order to maintain the Fellow designation, a Fellow must continue to annually meet the Academy 36 hour CLE requirement. In addition, a Fellow
must maintain their membership in the Academy in good standing.

Peer Recommendations

In addition to the foregoing, the applicant must also provide the names of three (3) professionals (two must not be Academy Members), including
any Judge before whom the applicant regularly appears in Court, who have extensive estate planning or elder law experience and are familiar with the
legal expertise of the applicant and with the ethical character of the applicant. Each professional will be contacted and questioned about the
applicant to determine the quality and character in the community of the applicant. This will ensure that Fellows are held in the highest regard and
maintains the high standard of the designation.

The Academy has provided this information in order to explain what the Fellow designation means and the standards an Academy member must meet in
order to achieve the designation. The Academy can not guaranty the result of any client engagement nor does the Academy act as a referral agency.

Free Estate Planning Worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.

Texting Permission

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Testimonials

default image

Overall The Potter Firm was very professional. They took what could of been a very complicated process and were able to break it down so it was a lot easier to understand. We are confident we now have made the right decisions in our estate planning. Good firm to work with.

DKS & KMS Client Review August 28, 2020

default image

John Potter has been a real pleasure to work with. He is very knowledgeable and explains things in a very simplistic manner so the average person can understand how/why the laws are written. He is very attentive and asks questions in such a way that not only helps him understand your goals, but also helps you think about what type of goals and expectations you should be considering. Exemplary client service.

David J. Client Review August 28, 2020

default image

My husband and I selected Ms. Potter to assist with our small business. She responsive and attentive every time I have a question or need assistance, and is extremely knowledgeable and able to answer any legal question I have had. I know I can count on Ms. Potter for all of my business legal needs and I would highly recommend her to anyone needing legal assistance with such.

Jillian Client Review August 28, 2020

<< Prev
Next >>

Where We Are

Ashland

ASHLAND
1620 Carter Avenue
Ashland, KY 41101-7631
Phone: (606) 324-5516
Fax: (606) 324-4766

Charlotte

CHARLOTTE
15720 Brixham Hill Avenue
Suite 300,
Charlotte, NC 28277
Phone: (704) 944-3245

Huntersville

HUNTERSVILLE
11330 Vanstory Drive
Huntersville, NC 28078
Phone: (704) 944-3245

Northern Kentucky

NORTHERN KENTUCKY
7310 Turfway Road
Suite 550,
Florence, KY 41042
Phone: (859) 372-6655

Office Hours

Monday8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday8:30 AM - 3:00 PM

Map/Location

potter_sidbr_map
potter law logo
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc. THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT