Fern J. Finkel

Fern J. Finkel is the founder of Fern Finkel & Associates, PLLC, in downtown Brooklyn, New York. Ms. Finkel devotes her practice to elder law and special needs, estate planning, asset protection, advance directives, Supplemental Needs Trusts, and long-term care planning, representing a wide range of clients throughout the New York metropolitan area.

Ms. Finkel graduated with honors from New York University College of Business and Public Administration with a degree in Economics, and earned her Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law. She has been admitted to practice law since 1985.  Ms. Finkel has focused her practice in Elder Law since 1997. 

Ms. Finkel offers a wide variety of services and practical planning instruments for the protection of older adults, persons with disabilities, and their loved ones.  She works closely with clients and their families to plan for future financial and personal safety through estate and asset protection planning, Special Needs Trusts, Medicaid and benefits planning, and advance directives including Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies, Living Wills and other planning instruments. She has represented clients and their families in Article 81 guardianship proceedings and was frequently appointed by the Courts as Court Evaluator and as Counsel to the Alleged Incapacitated Person.  She has served as a Guardian by Court appointment or upon personal nomination for the last two decades. 

Ms. Finkel offers her counsel on long-term care, benefits planning, financial options, and legal issues facing the elderly and disabled, with an emphasis on maximizing her clients' independence and ability to remain at home.  She takes pride in her commitment to compassionate listening and protecting vulnerable seniors and disabled persons, bringing nearly four decades of experience in elder law, estate planning, special needs planning, and trial advocacy.  

Ms. Finkel is proud to be the current Chair of the New York State Bar Association Elder Law and Special Needs Section.  She is the Immediate Past President of the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Chair of the Brooklyn Bar Association Foundation Law Committee, Co-Facilitator of the Working Model of Guardianship - WINGS [Working Interdisciplinary Network of Guardianship Stakeholders], a Special Master of the Appellate Division Second Department Mandatory Civil Appeals Mediation Program, and Vice Chair of the Brooklyn Bar Association Elder Law Committee. 

Ms. Finkel served for years as a volunteer certified mediator with Safe Horizons for community disputes, PINS cases and custody matters, as well as with the United States District Court, Eastern District.  She has lectured extensively for various bar associations, CLE providers and community groups on topics including the Role of the Guardian, Role of the Court Evaluator, Role of the Attorney for the AIP, Advance Directives, Medicaid and Asset Protection, Aging in Place, Supplemental Needs Trusts, Guardianships, and Planning during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  Ms. Finkel has served as a mentor attorney at the Brooklyn Law School HELP (Helping Elders Through Litigation and Policy) Clinic, the Touro Law School Externship Program, and the New York Law School Elder Law Clinic.  She has served on the Committees on Character and Fitness for the Second Judicial Department since 2008. 

Ms. Finkel has won numerous awards for her recognized pro bono service including: Selection as a 2019 "Champions of Justice: Women in Leadership in Law and Administration of Justice" Honoree,  the 2013 Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project Building Bridges Award, the 2013 Brooklyn Bar Association Distinguished Service Award, the 2009 Brooklyn Bar Association Distinguished Service Award, the 2004 Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York Hanna S. Cohn Pro Bono Award, the 2003 New York State Bar Association Pro Bono Award for the Second Judicial District, the 1999 Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project Pro Bono Award, the 1996 Brooklyn Bar Association Frieda S. Nisnewitz Award for Pro Bono Service, and an Award of Merit from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 1997.   She has been selected to the New York Super Lawyers list in the field of Elder Law in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.