Disability Law

Growing the Structured Settlement Market

Posted on July 23, 2008
For the past several years, the structured settlement industry has experienced significant change without any significant overall growth of annual annuity premium. Several structured settlement annuity providers (Aegon, Genworth, Travelers, and Transamerica among others) have left the structured settlement market...

S2P2J Releases 43 and 44

Posted on July 20, 2008
ALM has published and distributed Release 43 of "Structured Settlements and Periodic Payment Judgments" (S2P2J). Co-authored by Daniel Hindert, Joseph Dehner and Patrick Hindert, S2P2J is a legal textbook first published in 1986 and updated semi-annually...

Web 2.0 Update

Posted on July 04, 2008
S2KM's blog encourages collaborative thinking and commentary about the impact of the Internet on four overlapping markets: Structured settlements; Personal injury settlement planning; Special needs planning; and The secondary insurance markets. S2KM's coverage includes information and observations about industry leaders...

Pullman & Comley's Structured Settlement Insights-2

Posted on June 26, 2008
Pullman & Comley's Summer 2008 edition of its "Structured Settlement Insights" summarizes three recent and significant developments impacting the structured settlement secondary market: Two Fresno County, California Superior Court decisions finding violations of the California Structured Settlement Protection Act (SSPA)...

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Structured Settlement Thought Leadership Conference

Posted on June 18, 2008
Focusing on the needs and best interests of consumers, the first-ever Structured Settlement Thought Leadership Conference took place June 17, 2008 in Philadelphia. Designed to bring together knowledge leaders who are "redefining structured settlement roles and processes", the Leadership Conference...

IRC 468B Funds Revisited - 3

Posted on June 11, 2008
Two earlier S2KM blog posts prioritize a new article published in the NAELA Journal by John J. Campbell titled "The Use of Qualified Settlement Funds, Qualified Assignments and Special Needs Trusts in Physical Injury Settlements" to refocus on single claimant...

IRC 468B Funds Revisited - 2

Posted on June 09, 2008
S2KM's earlier blog post (IRC 468B Funds Revisited) refocuses S2KM and S2KM's readership on 468B Funds as the single most important strategic issue for the settlement planning and structured settlement industries. S2KM's earlier blog post also recommends educational resources and...

NSSTA's New Leadership

Posted on June 08, 2008
The National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA) has announced the election of Daniel Durbin as association President-elect. Durbin joins Christopher Diamantis, NSSTA President, and Joseph Ricci, NSSTA's new Executive Director, to form NSSTA's new leadership team...

IRC Section 468B Funds Revisited

Posted on June 07, 2008
S2KM previously has published online learning resources about Internal Revenue Code Section 468B Funds: S2KM Blog Posts Definitions of Designated Settlement Funds (DSF) and Qualified Settlement Funds (QSF); Single Claimant 468B Funds Robert Wood Podcast SSP Annual Meetings featuring 468B...

Settlement Trusts Revisited

Posted on May 24, 2008
S2KM previously published blog posts in 2004 about: Settlement trusts Selecting a settlement trustee The Spring 2008 issue of "The Brief", a publication of the Tort, Trial and Litigation section of the American Bar Association (ABA), features an article written...

2008 NAELA Symposium - 2

Posted on May 19, 2008
This blog post looks at the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and elder law certification (CELA) from the perspective of knowledge management (KM) and web 2.0. S2KM's prior blog post (2008 NAELA Symposium-1) featured S2KM's "Web 2.0 for...

2008 NAELA Symposium - 1

Posted on May 18, 2008
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) celebrated its 20th Anniversary May 15-18 at the Hyatt Regency Resort in Maui. Established in 1987, NAELA is a non-profit organization consisting of 4400 members in the United States, Canada, Australia and...

National Settlement Consultants

Posted on May 04, 2008
National Settlement Consultants (NSC) hosted its second Annual Meeting at the Bedford Springs Resort May 1-3, 2008. The NSC meeting demonstrated why many industry experts view Michael and William Goodman, NSC founders and principals, as structured settlement leaders and visionaries...

2008 NSSTA Annual Meeting - 2

Posted on April 26, 2008
S2KM summarized the 2008 Annual Meeting of the National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA) in a prior blog post (2008 NSSTA Annual Meeting - 1). This blog post highlights industry issues and S2KM questions resulting from the NSSTA meeting...

2008 NSSTA Annual Meeting - 1

Posted on April 20, 2008
The National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA) hosted its 2008 Annual Meeting at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines Resort April 16-19. Approximately 250 persons attended. This S2KM blog post summarizes the 2008 NSSTA Annual Meeting. A subsequent S2KM blog...

2008 ASNP Annual Meeting

Posted on March 31, 2008
The Second Annual Meeting of the Academy of Special Needs Planners (ASNP), titled "Beyond Nuts & Bolts: When Theory Meets Reality", took place March 27-29, 2008 in New Orleans. Open to non-ASNP members, ASNP's 2008 program attracted more than 100...

Structured Settlement Wiki

Posted on March 24, 2008
S2KM has published a structured settlement wiki. S2KM's objectives and purposes: Publish a wiki for structured settlement professionals and stakeholders. Feature industry issues and knowledge leaders in web 2.0 formats. Encourage industry practice communities and networks to use wikis...

SSP 2008 Annual Meeting - 2

Posted on March 12, 2008
The Society of Settlement Planners (SSP) hosted its 2008 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. on March 5-7. Approximately 75 persons attended the SSP meeting including settlement planners, special needs attorneys and annuity provider representatives. Under direction from 2007 SSP President...

West Virginia Update

Posted on March 11, 2008
The West Virginia legislature has amended and reenacted the state's current structured settlement protection statute. According to Representative Ronald N. Walters, one of the bill's sponsors, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin is expected to sign House Bill 4613 into law...

2008 AAPD Leadership Gala Dinner

Posted on March 02, 2008
On March 5, 2008, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) will host its 2008 Leadership Gala Dinner in Washington, D.C. Structured settlement leaders from both NSSTA and SSP will be attending the AAPD dinner - in addition to...

Who is Michael Upchurch?

Posted on February 29, 2008
Earlier this week, David and Dorothy Snyder announced that Michael A. Upchurch had purchased The Delta Group of Settlement Companies effective March 1, 2008. As the new owner, Chairman and CEO of Delta Settlements, Michael Upchurch becomes a prominent stakeholder...

Michael Upchurch Purchases Delta Settlements

Posted on February 26, 2008
David Snyder, owner, President and CEO of the Delta Group of Settlement Companies, and his wife Dorothy Snyder, have announced the sale of their company to Michael Upchurch of Jacksonville, Florida. Upchurch currently owns Upchurch Financial Services (UFS)...

Structured Settlement Transfers in Rhode Island

Posted on February 20, 2008
During the past three weeks, The Providence Journal has published two articles by Staff Writer Edward Fitzpatrick about structured settlement transfers (aka factoring) in Rhode Island. The articles feature State Superior Court Judges who express strong negative opinions about factoring...

West Virginia House Bill 4380

Posted on February 14, 2008
The 2000 agreement between the National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA) and the National Association of Settlement Purchasers (NASP) to support the Model Structured Settlement Protection Act (Model Act) appears to be in jeopardy this week in West Virginia...

SSP 2008 Annual Meeting - 1

Posted on February 04, 2008
The Society of Settlement Planners (SSP) has announced the educational program schedule for its 2008 Annual Meeting to take place March 5-7 in Washington, D.C. at the Marriott Hotel at Metro Center. Registration forms and online registration are available on...

The King of Torts Addresses Structured Settlements

Posted on January 27, 2008
The keynote address by esteemed trial attorney Joseph Jamail (aka "The King of Torts") was one of the highlights of the NSSTA 2008 Winter Meeting. Jamail and Jay Harvey, the immediate past-president of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA), who....

NSSTA 2008 Winter Regional Meeting

Posted on January 18, 2008
The National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA) hosted its 2008 Winter Regional Meeting January 16-18 at the Barton Creek Resort in the Texas hill country west of Austin. Approximately 150 persons attended. NSSTA's educational program and featured speakers highlighted some...

Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007

Posted on January 16, 2008
S2KM's first blog post of 2008 provides an addendum to Structured Settlements in 2007 and highlights the "Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007" (Extension Act) which President George W. Bush signed into law on December 29, 2007. For...

Structured Settlements in 2007

Posted on December 31, 2007
Happy holidays from S2KM Limited. Thank you for reading S2KM's blog during 2007. This final 2007 S2KM blog post highlights some of this year's important structured settlement developments and issues. For additional background information, see: S2KM Mid-2007 Structured Settlement Report...

SSPA Non-Contravention Standards

Posted on December 20, 2007
State courts play an important "gatekeeper" role for structured settlement factoring transactions. IRC section 5891 imposes a 40 percent federal excise tax if a factoring transaction does not receive required state court approval. State structured settlement protection acts (SSPAs) make...

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