Welcome to the Estate Planning and Elder Law Program Blog

Goldburn P. Maynard Jr. is the director of the Estate Planning and Elder Law Program.

Welcome to the Estate Planning and Elder Law Program Blog. It’s a privilege to lead this new imitative to connect with the university and the community beyond. I am extremely excited about the work we are doing in the program and we have exciting plans for educational sessions, research and outreach to the community.

First, I should admit that it was never my dream to work on these issues. While my interest in estate planning arose organically through my work as a tax attorney, elder law came into my life through life circumstances. When my mother died in 2014, my then 93-year-old dad came to live with me. 

I quickly found out that despite my experience as a lawyer, I had no experience navigating the labyrinth that is government services and medical insurance. This area of law was too important to be neglected: I had to add it to my teaching and research portfolio. After a long and wonderful life, my father passed away last year. He continues to inspire my work by spurring me to be more ambitious about our work at the University of Louisville.

In the coming weeks and months, we look forward to introducing you to the people that work with EPEL and their efforts to make a difference. Ultimately, the issues of late life will affect all of us in some way. It will take sustained levels of creativity, ingenuity and commitment from diverse voices over time to improve the life of those in their advanced years.