Law Offices Of Deborah S. Ball

An Elder Law, Estate Planning, and Estate Administration Law Firm

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Deborah S. Ball

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The Law Offices of Deborah S. Ball is a practice concentrating on elder law issues, matters affecting the developmentally disabled, trust and estate planning options, including will preparation, and estate administration. As a former Assistant District Attorney, Ms. Ball investigated home repair schemes against the elderly community. Ms. Ball has been appointed as guardian, guardian ad litem, court evaluator, and attorney for the alleged incapacitated person, as well representing clients in guardian proceedings involving elderly and disabled individuals.

Ms. Ball is an active member of the legal community. She has presented lectures on issues affecting the Elderly and Developmentally Disabled for professional organizations as well as for organizations providing community-based home care, including SELFHELP Community Services and the Alzheimer’s Association. Ms. Ball was the co-chair, as well as a speaker, at the NYSBA 2003 Annual Meeting lecture presented by the Committee on Issues Affecting People with Disabilities and the Elder Law Section. The topic for the lecture was “Pooled Trusts for People with Disabilities.” The Alzheimer’s Association published an article that Ms. Ball wrote, entitled, “Effectively Granting Power of Attorney.” The article appeared in the Winter 2007 Newsletter. She was the co-chair at the NYSBA 2012 Annual Meeting for a program sponsored by the Committees Affecting People with Disabilities entitled, “Records, Records, Everywhere: What to Keep and What to Share.” In the spring of 2013, Ms. Ball was a panelist for the NYSBA Mental Hygiene Article 81 training course. The topic of the discussion was attorney fees. She served as the co-chair for the 2017 Elder Law and Special Needs Section Summer Meeting and spoke at the Elder Law and Special Needs Section Fall Meeting. The presentation focused on post-guardianship appointment issues to remedy elder abuse. Ms. Ball also co-authored an article about predatory marriages, which appeared in the Winter 2018 edition of the Elder Law and Special Needs Journal and has been recirculated in other publications. In June 2019, she was a panelist for the 14th Annual NYC Elder Law Abuse Conference, and she recently authored the CLE materials on ethics for the Elder Law Basics program which was presented on November 8, 2019.

Ms. Ball regularly presents lectures on issues affecting the elderly and disabled, and their families to various organizations and associations. She has been a participant in a panel discussion on elder abuse, hosted by the Kings County District Attorney's Office. Ms. Ball is on legal referral lists for the Department of the Aging, SelfHelp Community Services, UJA-Federation, and the Alzheimer's Association, where she is a frequent lecturer. Ms. Ball has co-chaired and presented a CLE program for the New State Bar Association on "pooled trusts" for disabled persons.

Ms. Ball is a participant in the Guardianship Clinic at New York Law School, where each semester, she mentors a law student by being appointed along with the law student as court evaluator or attorney for an alleged incapacitated person.

Ms. Ball has represented clients in guardianship hearings, and prepared motions for Final Accountings on behalf of community guardianships programs. She has accepted appointments to serve as guardian, temporary guardian, attorney for the AIP and court evaluator. Additionally, she has provided her services, on a pro-bono basis, in New York County for the appointment of guardians, court evaluators and court appointed attorneys. As a result thereof, she has acquired extensive experience in matters of this nature and is competent and knowledgeable in pursuing her duties and responsibilities to assure and protect the interests of the alleged incapacitated person from the time of an order to show cause has been issued and to assist the Court in its findings. The Alzheimer's Association published an article that written by Ms. Ball, entitled, "Effectively Granting Power of Attorney." The article appeared in the Winter 2007 Newsletter.


Ms. Ball is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School, where she was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society. She received her Bachelor’s Degree as well as a Master's Degree in History from the State University of New York at Albany.

Article by Ms. Ball: "The Good We Do"

NY Times: Reverse Mortgage Realities

https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-s-ball-4702762/

Areas Of Practice

  • Elder Law and Special Needs
  • Trusts and Estates
  • Estate Planning

Bar Admissions

  • New York, 1990

Education

  • Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn, New York
    • Honors: Moot Court Honor Society
  • University at Albany, Albany, New York
    • B.A.
    • Major: History

Published Works

  • Effectively Granting Power of Attorney, The Alzheimer's Association, Winter, 2007
  • NYSBA Elder Law and Special Needs Journal; Co-authored Predatory Marriages: A growing Concern; by Deborah S. Ball and Malya Kurzweil Levin (Article republished by the American Bar Association and NYSBA One-on-One Summer 2018) , Winter, 2018

Classes/Seminars

  • Elder Abuse, Kings County District Attorney's Office
  • Pooled Trusts for Disabled Persons, New State Bar Association
  • Lecturer, Self Help Community Services
  • Lecturer, UJA-Federation
  • Lecturer, Alzheimer's Association
  • Presenter: 14th Annual NYC JASA Elder Abuse Conference

Honors and Awards

  • Super Lawyers New York Metro – Top Women 2020
  • Super Lawyers 2018 and 2019

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • New York State Bar Association, Elder Law Section, Co-Vice Chair, Elder Abuse Committee
  • New York State Bar Association, Elder Law Section, Member of Executive Board
  • Committee on Representing Developmentally Disabled Persons, Member
  • Attorney's Council of the New York Chapter of Hadassah, Member
  • Queens Interagency Council on Aging, Past Member
  • Working Mother's Committee of the Women's Bar Association, Co-Chair, 2000 to 2001
  • Brandeis Association of Lawyers, Board Member
  • National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Member
  • Brooklyn Bar Association Elder Law Section, Member
  • NYSARC

Past Employment Positions

  • Kings County District Attorney’s Office, Assistant District Attorney

Pro Bono Activities

  • New York Law School Guardianship Clinic
  • New York State Bar Association: Hurricane Sandy Law Resources initiative, 2013