OAKLAND, CALIF.—Special Needs Trusts: Planning, Drafting, and Administration, a new publication from Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), has received a 2008 award for Outstanding Achievement from the Association for Continuing Legal Education (ACLEA). CEB received the award in the "Best Publication" category. It was one of only 15 of more than 300 entrants from several countries to receive ACLEA awards this year.

"We're pleased and honored to receive this award," said Kevin Urbatsch, attorney-editor of Special Needs Trusts: Planning, Drafting, and Administration. "Our thanks go to the outstanding group of authors-special needs planning attorneys, estate planners, judicial personnel, professional trustees and financial professionals-who contributed to this groundbreaking publication and to the CEB staff who helped put it together. Special Needs Trusts: Planning, Drafting, and Administration, is the first book to explain and guide attorneys in the complicated field of planning for persons with disabilities. We're extremely proud."

Special Needs Trusts: Planning, Drafting, and Administration, is the first comprehensive treatment of planning for the unique needs required for a person with a disability. It includes full explanations of the different types of trusts available, how the trusts interact with public benefits, how trusts can be drafted to provide caregiving and advocacy services to beneficiaries, how trusts are administered, and related issues that arise when planning for persons with disabilities.

Twenty-two attorney authors contributed to the book. Fourteen additional attorneys acted as consultants. Authors include Leslie A. Barnett, Donna R. Bashaw, Carol S. Battaglia, Thomas Beltran, James E. Berge, Linda S. Durston, Nancy K. Ewin, Scott A. Harshman, Gregory J. Lederman, Polly Levin, Christopher M. Moore, Gene L. Osofsky, John A. Payne, Jr., Ruth A. Phelps, Ruth E. Ratzlaff, Dennis M. Sandoval, Gordon A. Schaller, Allan A. Senkow, Diedre D. Wachbrit, Gregory Wilcox, and William L. Winslow. These individuals, along with estate planning attorneys from CEB's Product Development Department including Mary Gerber, Frederike Schilter, Roberta Klein, and Kate Sheppard, worked to bring this important work to the legal community.

ACLEA members are professionals in the fields of continuing legal education and legal publishing. Its annual awards are highly competitive and winning projects represent the highest level of achievement for the staff and volunteers involved.

ACLEA will formally present the award to the Continuing Education of the Bar at the Annual Meeting of ACLEA in Vancouver B.C., Canada, on August 5, 2008.

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