Part of the Chat with the Expert series.

This session will explore how to ensure that your dying wishes are carried out by the people that you love and trust the most. Without a Last Will and Testament and an Appointment of Agent to Control the Disposition of Remains form in place you may not be pick who is in charge of what happens to your belongings after you pass away or direct your final resting. We will also discuss what laws come into play when someone does not prepare these documents before they pass away and how survivors handle someone’s estate.

Presenters are Peter Kempner, Esq., Legal Director & Senior Law Project Director at Volunteers of Legal Service, & Alyssa Villareal, Esq., Staff Attorney, Senior Law Project at Volunteers of Legal Service.

Biography:

Peter Kempner, Esq. oversees VOLS’ legal department and pro bono program. He joined VOLS as the Senior Law Project Director in May 2018 and moved into his current role as Legal Director in May 2019. He received his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in 2001 and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2002. He received his B.A. in Political Science from the State University of New York College at Purchase in 1996 and he received an M.A. in Political Management from the Graduate School of Political Management at the George Washington University in 1998. He is admitted to practice in the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York and is accredited to practice by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to working at VOLS he worked in Brooklyn Legal Services’ HIV Unit from 2001 until 2011 as a Senior Staff Attorney and Government Benefits Specialist. In May 2011, he helped found the Veterans Justice Project, an innovative general legal services practice focusing on veterans, active-duty military personnel and their families. In April 2015, Pete became the Director of the Veterans Justice Project and Deputy Director of the Housing Unit at Brooklyn Legal Services where he worked until 2018. He has been a member of the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York since 2019, and served as a member of the Social Welfare Law Committee of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York from 2007 until 2013. Later he served as the Chairperson of the Committee from 2013 until 2016. He served on the Advisory Committee to the Brooklyn Veteran Treatment Court from 2012 until 2018. He is currently a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Veterans and previously served on the committee from 2013 until 2017. In 2022 he was appointed by the Chief Judge of the State of New York to serve on the Attorney Emeritus Advisory Council. He is also an Adjunct Clinical Professor at New York Law School where he created and has taught their Veterans Justice Clinic since 2015.

Alyssa Villareal, Esq. received her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she served as President of the Cardozo Trusts and Estates Association and worked with the Cardozo Guardianship Clinic. Prior to joining VOLS, Alyssa worked for Manhattan law firms specializing in elder law and estate law, where she focused on estate planning, probate and administration, and adult guardianships. Alyssa also served as a long-term volunteer with the New York Legal Assistance Group’s Total Life Choices Program. In this position, she worked extensively on advance planning matters, including last wills and testaments, medical advance directives, and powers of attorney, as well as matters pertaining to adult guardianships, guardianship alternatives, and probate and administration.