San Jose special needs attorney Lorna Drope will lead a free workshop over Zoom on Jan. 17 for families of children with disabilities. The workshop, set for 6:30 p.m., will discuss limited conservatorships and how they can protect adults with developmental disabilities.
A second workshop on Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. will discuss special needs trusts and the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014. The ABLE Act allows individuals with special needs to accumulate wealth while still qualifying for government benefits.
Per the ABLE Act, states can create tax-advantage savings programs for eligible people with disabilities. Funds from these ABLE accounts can help designated beneficiaries pay for qualified disability expenses. Distributions are tax-free if used for qualified disability expenses, according to the IRS.
“Knowledge is power,” said Drope, whose offices are in the Rose Garden neighborhood. “I like empowering my clients to preserve and maximize government benefits for their loved ones, and protect them from harm and exploitation.”
“Lorna has been very kind and is always willing to present for our families,” said Sonia Plageman, parent support and training coordinator with the Special Parents Information Network (SPIN), a nonprofit organization in Santa Cruz County that supports families with special needs children.
“We have a list going of probate attorneys to help families with special needs trusts, conservatorships and the ABLE Act,” said Plageman. “We always encourage families to have a private consultation to see if they are a good fit for them as we are not directly endorsing them, but we are grateful to have them present to our families.”
“I love presenting at workshops,” said Drope. “I love the questions I get from people who are attending. How else would I know what they need?”
Originally a pre-med student, Drope received her bachelor’s degree in biopsychology from the University of Michigan in 1992. An experience with a car dealership not honoring a warranty was, as Drope put it, “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” and she switched careers to law.
“I went to law school to protect myself,” she said. “Finding information is much easier now, but the Internet wasn’t a thing back then, and I felt like I was being taken advantage of. How did you find out what your rights were 30 years ago? I wanted to know, so I became a lawyer.”
She attended both the University of Michigan Law School and Pepperdine University School of Law, receiving her J.D. in 1995. Drope received her master of law degree in taxation from the University of San Diego in 2002.
She worked at a large Silicon Valley law firm in tax planning and wealth accumulation until she realized her favorite clients were those who had loved ones with disabilities.
“I myself have a lot of sensory issues,” said Drope. “I feel very connected in the special needs community. My brother also is a disabled Vietnam vet. Seeing his struggles was hard.”
Drope said she opened her own practice so that she could provide more affordable services for her clients, who “appreciate my services more than my tax planning clients.”
“I feel like I’m making a bigger impact, and I feel more rewarded,” she added. “I get hugs from clients. To have work be fun is great.”
Drope primarily focuses on general and limited conservatorships, special needs planning including special needs trusts, probate administration and court supervised accountings. She has provided free workshops since she opened her own practice in 2010.
“It’s a good way to share information and promote business,” she said. “When I was in law school, there was nothing in special needs law; it was very niche. Very few people now focus as I do.”
In addition to her work as an attorney, Drope currently serves as board president of California Community Opportunities (CCO), a San Jose-based nonprofit that supports adults with disabilities with residential and day programming.
“Our motto is ‘A purposeful life for all,’ and I think her work embodies that,” said Nina Duncan, executive director at CCO. “She wants to ensure that the person [with a disability] has high-quality services and is secure and protected and that they have what they need.”
Registration information for both workshops can be found at https://specialneedslawgroup.com.