The Law Offices of David R. Okrent is one of the first Elder Law/ Estate Planning firms on Long Island, New York serving Nassau, Suffolk and the Five Boroughs. With over a quarter century of professional experience, we have “seen a lot” and can navigate with confidence through all the complexities of the laws and rules that others may overlook or do not fully understand. We believe that our outstanding commitment to our clients is what has sustained and kept our firm growing over the past 27 years.
ABOUT US
Protecting the fragile. Preserving dignity. Sustaining independence.
History
Where we've come from
Philisophy
Our philosophy explained
We help our clients face overwhelming emotional and financial decisions. As counselors at law, we strive to ease frustration and confusion to allow our clients to focus on what is important, their loved ones. The Law Offices of David R. Okrent specializes in Elder Law, Estate Planning, Special Needs Children and related areas. Just as you would not want a general practitioner to do your heart surgery, you may not want a broad law firm to handle your estate planning and elder law. The Laws are constantly changing and nuances are not easy to understand, we spend all of our time studying the rules and laws and are able to assist our clients with our deep knowledge of these areas.
Values
Attorneys with a heart
The attorneys and staff at the law offices of David R. Okrent care deeply about every client and understand the personal and financial problems that come with a loved one in crisis. In our practice, each client is a unique individual, not a folder in the file drawer. At times, navigating the legal system can seem overwhelming, but our clients can rest assured that we will be there for them and they will become an extension of our office family.
Meet Our Team
We would like you to get to know us a little better.
David R. Okrent
Managing Attorney
Mr. Okrent concentrates in the Elder Law, Tax, Estate Planning, Administration, Special Needs Planning & Asset Protection. He has more than 39 years in both the legal & accounting fields. He received “The L,I. Coalition for the Aging, Inc. “Man of Spirit” Award for commitment to the field of Aging, in 2006, was honored by the L.I. Alzheimer Foundation as an “Angel of Spirit” in 2010, by Day Haven, in 2012 the “Leadership in Law” award by the L. I. Business News, & in 2023 designated, by the L.I. Herald as one of L.I. Top 40 Attorneys.
Mr. Okrent is a frequent lecturer and author. Has appeared on Channel Twelve’s TV program titled “Best Years” and Co-hosted WEVD’s morning “Elder Law & Senior Forum” radio program.
He is now serving as a member to the Coordinating Council for Services Related to Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementia, under NY PHL Section 2004-a appointed on 1/30/24 by Governor Hochul, upon recommendation of the Speaker of the NY State Assembly. He is also a Board of Director of the NY Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He is an a past Member of the Board of Directors of the Suffolk County Bar Association, Managing Director of its Charity Foundation, a Co-Chair of the Suffolk County Bar Associations Elder Law Committee, Legislation Committee, Tax Committee and Member of it’s Academy of Law and a member of its Elder Law & Surrogates Court Committees. In addition, he is a member of the Executive Committee of the NYS Bar Association’s Elder Law Section, Vice Chair of its Estates, Trusts and Tax Issues Sub-Committee, a past Member-At-Large, Co-Chair of its Sub Committees, a LI District Delegate, & Co-Chief Editor of the “Elder and Special Needs Law Journal.”
He has served as a Board Member to the Foundation of St. Charles Hospital, Huntington Arts Council, Chair of the Legal Advisory Board of the L.I. Alzheimer’s Foundation, member of the Planned Giving Council of Good Samaritan Hospital and Advisory Board to Friends of Karen, V.P. & Education Co-Chair of the L.I. Eastern Chapter of the NCCPAS, Legislation Committee of the MS Society & YAI/NIPD’s Autism Advisory Board, Officer of the APFC, Alumnus Liaison for the Tax Institute of the School of Professional Accountancy at L.I.U., C.W. Post, the NYSSCPA’s Estate Planning Committee, the AICPA’s, and the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Business Advisory Counsel, the Suffolk Local Early Intervention Coordinating Council, the Steering Committee for Assemblyman Englebright’s Sr. Law day, the Alzheimer’s Association, L.I. Legal Committee, Nassau County Bar Association and ABA.
Mr. Okrent was formerly associated with a Leading Elder Law Firm. Prior to that, he was a Revenue Agent with the IRS, responsible for litigation support and audit examinations of individuals, corporations and partnerships. While with the IRS, he taught financial statement analysis as an Adjunct Professor at Nassau County Community College. Before joining the IRS, Mr. Okrent was an accountant with KPMG/Peat Marwick.
At St. John’s University School of Law, Mr. Okrent received his JD, graduating Cum Laude in the top fifth (5th) percentile of his class. He received his B.S. degree in Accounting, Cum Laude, from the School of Professional Accountancy at L.I.U., C.W. Post Campus and the Faculty Award for Academic Excellence in Accounting. Finally, his experience includes judicial internships with The Honorable Judge Cecelia H. Goetz at Hauppauge Bankruptcy Court and The Honorable Judge Raymond C. Radigan at Nassau County Surrogate’s Court.
Susan Guido
Medicaid Liaison
Susan Guido is our Medicaid Liaison and Paralegal. In the past 10 years, Susan has worked in nursing homes as a Medicaid applications and billing coordinator. Upon graduating college, she practiced as a social worker working with troubled teens in a residential setting, as an investigator for children services, as an adult protective-services worker, and led a support group for battered women. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Otterbein University in Westerville, OH. She majored in Sociology with a minor in Psychology. Susan also holds a medical billing certificate from Sanford Brown in NY. Susan bring with her an abundance of experience and a warmth of character that carries into the firm and helps us as attorneys execute your plans and legal documents.
Richard Campbella
Social Services
Richard Campanella is our Social Services expert. Richard is the former Director of the Medicaid Division of the Nassau County Department of Social Services. He spent his entire career at the Department of Social Services, particularly in the Medicaid Division where he moved up the ranks to ultimately become Director. While at Medicaid, one of his functions was the coordination of the Long Term Care Eligibility Program for chronic care recipients. Richard brings his dedication and experience with Social Services to our firm.
Denise O’Brien
Director of Care Coordinator
Denise O’Brien is our Director of Care Coordinator. Prior to joining our firm Mrs. O’Brien spent 35 years as a Director of Social Work in the long-term care field. In 1997 Denise was awarded The “Employee of the Year Award” while working at Bellhaven Nursing Center as the Director of Social Work.
Denise graduated from St. Joseph’s University, Patchogue Campus, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology /Psychology, graduating with honors. After, St. Joseph’s University Mrs. O’ Brien was accepted and completed the Masters program at St. John’s University, Queens Campus, where she was awarded a full academic-scholarship. During her years at St. John’s University, Denise worked as a Research Assistant along side professor’s in the Sociology Department.
Denise has enjoyed running support groups for the unemployed, as well as support group(s) for “The Alzheimer’s Association.” Denise expanded her career and knowledge by interning at “The Stepping Stones Center”, an outpatient center for mental health in Huntington, New York. During her time at Stepping Stones, Denise helped to facilitate programs for those struggling with mental health issues, helping to develop independent living skills.
Denise has worked at the law offices of David Okrent for many years now. She shows a genuine concern and compassion for our clients. Denise brings with her a comprehensive understanding of navigating the Long term care system, Nursing Home environment/placement, coordination of care in the community and the Medicaid system.
Maria Kay
Paralegal
Maria Kay is a Paralegal responsible for working on estate planning documents. In addition, she assists with the preparation of Medicaid applications and estate administration.
Maria has over six years of legal experience. Prior to joining the Law Offices of David R. Okrent, she worked in the International Studies Office at Suffolk Community College assisting international students with the admission and f-1 visa process. Earlier in her career she worked for a publishing company drafting contracts, monitoring licensing and contract agreements as well as managing trademark and copyright matters.
Maria received a bachelor’s degree in American Studies with a concentration in Communications from SUNY Old Westbury. In 2023 she completed the Paralegal Studies Certificate Program at Suffolk Community College.
Of-Counsel
We would like you to get to know us a little better.
Thomas J. Cone
Of-Counsel
Thomas Cone is the founder of The Law Offices of Thomas J. Cone in New York, NY. He has over 25 years of experience in the Elder Law/Health Care field. He has handled over a thousand guardianship petitions in the five boroughs of New York City, plus Westchester, Rockland, Nassau, Suffolk, Dutchess, and Columbia Counties. Thomas also concentrates in Medicaid Fair Hearings.
Alexander H. Kamerman
Of-Counsel
Alex Kamerman is an associate with The Law Offices of Thomas J. Cone in New York, NY. He has represented clients in hundreds of Article 81 guardianship hearings across New York City, Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties. He attended Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (J.D., 2012) and was admitted to the New York State bar in 2013.
Seymour Goldberg
Of-Counsel
Seymour Goldberg, CPA, MBA, JD a senior partner in the law firm of Goldberg & Goldberg, P.C., Melville, New York, is Professor Emeritus of Law and Taxation at Long Island University. He has taught many CLE and CPE programs at the state and national level as well as CLE courses for the New York State Bar Association, City Bar Center for Continuing Legal Education, NJICLE, local bar associations and law schools. He has been quoted in major publications including The New York Times, Forbes and The Wall Street Journal and has been interviewed on CNN, CNBC and CBS. Mr. Goldberg is a member of the IRS Long Island Tax Practitioner Liaison Committee and the Northeast Pension Liaison Group. He was formerly associated with the Internal Revenue Service and has been involved in conducting continuing education outreach programs with the IRS. He is the Chairman of the Estate & Financial Planning Committee of the Suffolk Chapter of the New York Society of CPA’s.
Denise Snow
Of-Counsel
Denise Snow JD, RN, is an attorney in solo practice of Snow and Associates, LLC focusing on health-related legal needs. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and primarily teaches health care policy, and population health. She served as an adjunct professor at Touro Law School. Ms. Snow completed her Juris Doctorate degree from Touro Law School, a Master’s degree from Stony Brook University and a Certificate of Midwifery from the SUNY Downstate. In 2006, as a staff attorney at Nassau/Suffolk Law Services, she was a primary attorney in the innovative Permanency Legal Assistance Needs (PLAN) Project, a New York State Department of Health public interest program that provided legal assistance to low income individuals with cancer on Long Island. She was instrumental in forming the first officially designated Medical Legal Partnership (MLP) on Long Island with the Stony Brook University Hospital Palliative Care team. The MLP successfully assisted many seriously ill patients with their medical-legal needs. Ms. Snow was Co-Chair of the Suffolk County Bar Association Health and Hospital Law Committee. She has written peer reviewed articles on health policy, insurance related issues for breast cancer patients and Medical Legal Partnerships and has presented extensively on the non-medical needs of seriously ill patients. She has authored textbook chapters on prenatal care, on health care policy and mental health legal issues. She has received leadership awards from Sigma Theta Tau and was nominated for “Nurse of the Year” in 2022.
James A. Soressi
Of-Counsel
Jim Soressi has over 35 years of experience as a tax attorney in the practice of estate planning, business planning and estate administration.
He began his career as an Estate Tax Attorney for the Internal Revenue Service where he conducted field audits of estate tax returns and fiduciary income tax returns and also served as the IRS Northeast IRC §6166 liaison. In 1986, he joined Guardian Life Insurance Company of America in its advanced underwriting department where he worked with high-net-worth individuals and closely held business owners in designing basic and sophisticated estate and business succession plans. He returned to the Guardian in 1992 as an officer to create Guardian’s Estate Planning Department, after gaining additional experience at a prominent Long Island law firm where he concentrated on creating and drafting innovative and sophisticated estate and business succession plans while minimizing income, gift, estate and generation skipping taxes. This included administration of estates and trusts including preparation of both informal and judicial accountings as well as handling IRS estate tax audits and their appeals.
He entered the private practice of law in 2008, concentrating in estate planning, estate administration and business planning.
Jim is formerly a member of the adjunct faculty at St. John’s University where he taught business law and management. He has previously taught at Long Island University, CW Post Campus, and Molloy College where he taught the Probate and Estate portion of their paralegal programs. He has also authored numerous articles in the estate and business planning areas and has lectured on these subjects across the country and is past a contributor to LawLine, an on-line Continuing Legal Education provider.
Jim is admitted to practice law in both the State of New York and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He earned a Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) from the American College in Bryn Mar, Pennsylvania and his hobbies include baking, cooking, golf, scuba diving and underwater photography.
Our Associations & Memberships
Some of our Associations & Membership we are honored to be partnered with.
Topics of concern to us
Want to hear more about topics that can affect you? Read below this line!
Alzheimer's
Millions of Americans live with Alzheimers disease. The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide and 3 locations in our region, this inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to reclaim the future for millions.
Medicaid
As of January 2018, New York has enrolled 6,474,457 individuals in Medicaid and CHIP — a net increase of 14.02% since the first Marketplace Open Enrollment Period and related Medicaid program changes in October 2013. Rules change every year, we always are here to help with applications & information.
Special Needs
The Children with Special Health Care Needs Program performs various functions to assure that children up to the age of 21 with certain disabilities and/or chronic health conditions receive quality care while limiting the financial impact on families. Service coordinators provide case management to empower families to meet challenges of caring for a child with special health care needs and assist families in accessing educational services, as well as community resources.
Financial Planning
You may notice on occasion I team with a financial advisor for a seminar. As attorneys, it is our job to understand State and Federal laws; it is not our job to give financial advice. Financial planning can often have a more immediate goal like; buying a home, or saving for retirement, whereas estate planning has long term goals and plans for uncertain future events.
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