Scott Solkoff is a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Elder Law. He represents clients who live at least part-time anywhere in Florida. The firm he founded, Solkoff Legal, P.A., is based in Delray Beach (Palm Beach County), Florida. Solkoff Legal, P.A. is a law firm which exclusively represents the elderly, people with disabilities and their caregivers. Scott and his father, Jerome Solkoff (of blessed memory), are co-authors of the leading textbook on the subject (written for lawyers), now beyond it’s 14th print edition. Scott has been elected a Fellow of the prestigious American College of Trusts and Estate Counsel (ACTEC).
Scott has served as Chair of The Florida Bar’s Elder Law Section, as President of the Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys, and as a Director of both the Florida State Guardianship Association and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Scott is rated A/V by Martindale Hubble, representing the highest standard of practice in the legal community. He has also been chosen to Florida Super Lawyers annually since 2005.
Early in his career as an Elder Law Attorney, Scott realized that there was something missing in his education and that of other Elder Law Attorneys. Even though “multidisciplinary learning” was an elder care buzzword at the time, the disciplines were very isolated and largely educating themselves by themselves. Scott envisioned a statewide gathering of all elder care disciplines where each type of professional (lawyer, judge, social worker, facility worker, government agency personnel, guardians, care managers and others) could share their own experiences and knowledge on the overlapping issues faced by Florida’s aging population. Scott was moving up in leadership in The Florida Bar at the time and tried to “sell” the concept to the Bar. This proved too novel and complicated a project under the Bar’s then insular educational system. Then, driving in Chautauqua, New York, Scott saw a roadside sign advertising “Philosophy Concert.” He got to work on developing a truly multidisciplinary elder care program and called it “Elder Concert.” On the Executive Council of the Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys (AFELA), he presented the idea to his colleagues and the organization decided to sponsor and manage the program. The next year, as President of AFELA, Scott invited leaders of leading state elder care agencies and organizations to a meeting in Boca Raton where he unveiled the “Elder Concert” concept and it was roundly applauded and supported. Those organizations formed the first “Allied Organizations” for Elder Concert. The first Elder Concert program was held in Fort Lauderdale in the year 2000 and has been run annually ever since. Now managed by Scott and his firm as an accommodation to and by arrangement with AFELA, the program is among the most successful multidisciplinary elder care programs in the United States. Elder Concert has been joined by the following Allied Organizations: the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, the Florida State Guardianship Association, The Florida Bar’s Elder Law Section, Florida Assisted Living Association, Alzheimer’s Community Care, the Aging Life Care Association (Florida Chapter), the Florida Atlantic University’s Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center and, of course, AFELA (the state chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys).
Committed in his support to local non-profits that advance the betterment of the elderly and their caregivers, Scott is currently on the Board of Directors for the JCC of the Greater Palm Beaches and is a former Board Member and supporter of Alpert Jewish Family Services in Palm Beach County and the Northeast Alzheimer’s Day Care Center. Scott is the recipient of the Florida Bar’s 1998 Charlotte Brayer Public Service Award, recognizing his substantial aid to the elderly. He was appointed by Florida’s Govenor and Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives to serve on the 18-member Purple Ribbon Task Force, charged with developing a state plan and report on Alzheimer’s Disease and related demetias.
Widely recognized as an expert in his field, Scott is also a frequent speaker and has given presentations on elder law issues across the United States and in Canada. He has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Kiplinger’s Magazine, The Washington Post and numerous other trade and mainstream publications. He also educates other attorneys throughout the country and has been a keynote or featured speaker at numerous seminars on disabilities and elder law. His seminars are also distributed by bar associations on audio and video.
He is a graduate of the University of Florida (Go Gators!) and earned his juris doctor degree, with honors, from Nova Southeastern University. Scott has lived in South Florida since 1972 and enjoys life with his wife, Rabbi Aviva Bass and his children, Jacob, Lola, Rafael and Angelo.
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Attorney Scott Solkoff has worked together with the Florida Department of Elder Affairs on three significant projects designed to benefit Florida’s seniors. The first was the development of the Florida Guardianship Education Coalition which Mr. Solkoff co-chaired with the late Honorable Thomas E. Penick, Jr. The second was the development of a pooled special needs trust managed by a legislatively-created direct service organization. The trust is the first of its kind to provide legislatively-authorized protection for assets of persons with disabilities while also providing funding for indigent people who require otherwise cost-prohibitive guardianship. The third project is the housing of SHINE volunteers in the offices of Solkoff Legal, P.A.
Solkoff Legal, P.A. was selected as a counseling site where seniors can meet with trained volunteers who provide consumer guidance on Medicare and other insurance choices. Solkoff Legal, P.A. provides complimentary space and support services for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs SHINE program. For more information on the SHINE program or to set an appointment with a SHINE representative, visit the SHINE website. The fact that the SHINE program meets in the law offices of Solkoff Legal, P.A. does not imply any legal advice or endorsement by Solkoff Legal, P.A. of advice provided by SHINE representatives and nor does this program infer any endorsement of Solkoff Legal, P.A. by the SHINE program or the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. This program is part of the charitable mission of Solkoff Legal, P.A.
Board certification recognizes attorneys’ special knowledge, skills, and proficiency in various areas of law, professionalism, and ethics. Solkoff lawyers are Florida Bar Board Certified Specialists in Elder Law.
NAELA is a non-profit organization that assists lawyers, bar organizations, and others. Their mission is to educate, inspire, serve, and provide community to attorneys with practices in special needs and elder law.
ACTEG fellowship is awarded based on exceptional skill & reputation. Lawyers must have more than 10 years experience in the practice of probate & trust law or estate planning–knowledge crucial in practicing elder law.