Robert J. Shanahan, Jr., Attorney

Robert J. Shanahan, Jr.

I concentrate my practice in estate planning (wills, trusts, powers of attorney), probate, and in elder law (guardianships, powers of attorney, living wills, and Medicaid and nursing home issues). I am a mediator trained by the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators. I am also Collaboratively trained to resolve family issues in elder and probate matters.

Since becoming an attorney in 1985, I have experienced the area of Elder Law grow from an occasional question about powers of attorney and guardianships, to a full-blown specialized practice area. It hit home when I saw the effects of poor planning when my wife became executor of her uncle’s estate. The estate left a large sum of money to a severely disabled person, who was then in danger of losing all of his benefits – including his apartment in a specialized home.

Lawyers have to spend time finding out, not only about the individual client, but about his or her family, taking a “holistic” approach to the preparation of these documents, and helping with these issues.

An Active Member of the Community

I am very active in the community, advocating on behalf of the elderly and their families. A former member of the Hunterdon Medical Center Ethics Committee, and the Hunterdon Regional Ethics Committee, I maintain an active role in Volunteer Guardianship One on One, Inc. (Past President), presently serving as counsel to its Board of Trustees (pro bono). I served as President of the Hunterdon County Bar Association from 2010 to 2011 and remain an active member on its Elder Law Committee. I am a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and am active in its New Jersey Chapter.

I enjoy teaching and make myself available to clubs and organizations, and present at county bar association continuing legal education programs and elderly outreach programs.

I received my law degree from Temple University School of Law, where I was Associate Editor of the school’s Environmental Law & Technology Journal. My undergraduate degree is in history, cum laude, from William Paterson College of New Jersey.

Curriculum Vitae:

1985 New Jersey and U.S. District Court for N.J.
1987 U.S. District Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
1990 U.S. Supreme Court

1985 JD, Temple University School of Law
1981 BA (Honors), William Paterson College of NJ

Volunteer Guardianship- One on One, Inc.

Volunteer Guardianship One on One, Inc. is a non-profit organization which provides volunteers from the community to act as guardians for people who do not have family members. Volunteer Guardianship One on One, Inc. provides all the training and resources to support the guardians, who give the wards more personal attention than they would receive from the State Office of the Public Guardian. I currently serve as counsel to the Board of Trustees, doing all of the organizations’ legal work, pro bono. I have been a member since 2008, serving as a member of the Board of Trustees and as President.www.volunteerguardianship.org

New Jersey Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys is a national organization of attorneys who practice in the Elder Law field. It is an educational and collegial group, consistently offering training and legal updates in the field to its members and advocating for changes in the laws which impact the elderly. Many states have local chapters, including New Jersey, in which I am an active member and former Trustee of its Board of Trustees. www.naela.org.

Hunterdon Medical Center Ethics Committee

The Ethics Committee is composed of doctors, nurses, social workers and community members. It is called upon to provide counsel to patients, family members and those in the medical professions concerned with the resolution of unusual or complex medical ethics problems which affect the care and treatment of patients. Issues may involve, but are not limited to, terminal illness and care, quality of life, utilization of scarce or limited resources, the maintenance of life, as well as the definition of life and/or cessation thereof. I served as a member of this committee for twelve years. www.hunterdonhealthcare.org.

Hunterdon County Bar Association.

The Hunterdon County Bar Association is composed of attorneys and judges who reside or practice in Hunterdon County. It provides education and guidance to attorneys in various fields of practice, and acts as a liaison between the bench and attorneys on various practice issues. Most importantly, it organizes and runs various charitable programs for the public, including Law Day/Court Night, Lawyer Referral Service, Mock Trial Competition, Hispanic Outreach, Scholarship and Awards. I served as a member of the Board of Trustees for five years prior to becoming its President in 2010 to 2011. Currently, I am active in the Bar Association’s Elder Law Committee, and I have been a presenter in the Association’s Continuing Legal Education programs and serve on its Elder Law Committee. www.huntcolaw.org

Examples of Bob’s Past Representation