Lisa Nachmias Davis
Davis O'Sullivan & Priest LLC - Attorneys at Law

Elder Law & Special Needs, Estate Planning & Probate,
Nonprofit Organizations
Davis O'Sullivan &
Priest LLC
59 Elm Street
Suite 540
New Haven, CT  
06510
Tel: 203-776-4400  
Fax: 203-774-1060
 
davis@sharinglaw.net

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY

I have practiced law for over 30 years.  Wow.  Time flies!  My practice includes both planning for individuals (estate planning and administration, elder law, planning for those with disabilities) and -- although to a lesser extent -- advising nonprofit organizations. 

In the first category, planning for individuals:

  • I have been certified as a "Certified Elder Law Attorney" ("CELA") by the National Elder Law Foundation since 2004 (important note:  such certification is not officially recognized in Connecticut, which does not yet recognize elder law as a "specialty"; click the link for more information on what this term means).
  • I am the co-author of The Elder Law Answer Book (updated annually, in semi-annual installmens, published by Wolters Kluwer), which covers a wide variety of estate planning, probate, and elder law topics in a useful Q&A Format.  Starting in 2023, this will be a solo publication, updated annually.
  • I am a frequent speaker on elder law/special needs and estate planning topics, both for professionals, and for community groups such as senior centers, the Alzheimer's Association, and Shoreline Community Care (VNA).
  • I have served on the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association Elder Law Section since 1998, and serve on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. I'm active on the Public Policy/Legislation/CLE Committees of these organizations.  I'm also a member of the Special Needs Alliance, an invitation-only nonprofit organization dedicated to the practice of disability and public benefits law.
  • I was elected to membership in ACTEC, the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel, in 2022.
  • To improve public knowledge in these areas, I maintain this website, contribute to the consumer website CTElderLaw.org maintained by Connecticut Legal Services, and host a listserv for elder law attorneys in Connecticut.  I also created the original website of the Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut, where I served on the Board of Directors from 2003-2008.  From 2009 - 2012 I served on the board of directors of the Connecticut Chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness.
I have represented individuals of very modest means as well as those with multimillion dollar estates.  My clients include middle class families, including those with special needs children, wealthy individuals seeking to reduce estate taxes through life insurance trusts, bypass trusts, and other techniques, disabled individuals trying to access benefits and/or cope with inheritances or proceeds of litigation, individuals in nursing homes (and their families) who must apply for Medicaid or develop a strategy to preserve family assets without jeopardizing future eligibility, executors dealing with probate requirements and tax filing obligations, and trustees who need guidance on the administration of special needs or other trusts.  I try to help indigent clients as well, especially those who don't qualify for Legal Aid services, by pro bono, reduced-rate or flat-fee representation, through Probate Court appointments, and by providing information over the phone and through this website.  

In the second category, advising nonprofit organizations,  I am less active than before, but believe I can still be helpful  In this area:

  • I am a member of the Connecticut Bar Association Tax Section.
  • From 1998 to 2017, I was a Visiting Clinical Lecturer in Law at the Yale Law School, where I was a co-director of the Yale Law School Nonprofit Organization Law Clinic, helping hundreds of students help hundreds of new nonprofit organizations get their start.  The Clinic is no longer operating, alas, since Professor John Simon's retirement and death in 2022.
  • Through my web pages, I still try to give organizations and those who want to help them as much "do-it-yourself" guidance as possible.  My articles in this area include "How to Stay Out of Trouble Under the Excess Benefit Rules," published in Connecticut Lawyer magazine; and "Remember Your Fractions:  The Public Support Test," published on this website and based on materials used in the Yale clinic's curriculum.  My website also has "D.I.Y." tools including sample forms.
While I'm particularly interested in helping groups that do advocacy work, my clients have included professional associations, private foundations, supporting organizations, community foundations, churches and synagogues, advocacy groups, and numerous small publicly supported organizations just starting out or needing help with governance or tax compliance issues.  I also serve on the board of the directors of the Meriden Land Trust.

I started my own practice in January, 2006 after being a partner in the firm of Tyler, Cooper & Alcorn.  Other past associations have included Robinson & Cole, in Hartford, and Cummings & Lockwood, in New Haven.  In 2009, my friends and colleagues Shawn L. O'Sullivan and Kathy K. Priest  joined with me to establish our new firm, Davis O'Sullivan & Priest LLC, and we have practiced together happily since then.

In 2011, 2012 2013, 2015, 2020, and 2021, "Superlawyers" named me as one of the top twenty-five women lawyers in the State of Connecticut.  I'm just reporting this. I don't claim to be worthy of this distinction!  And it always sounds as if I should wear tights and have a cape!  (They have me in a few other categories too -- "superlawyer" in Elder law 2007 - 2022; top fifty women lawyers in New England in 2012, 2013.)  Martindale-Hubbell has given me an AV® Preeminent™ rating of 4.9 out of 5.

I received my B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale College in 1982 and my J.D. from Yale Law School in 1990, following which I held a clerkship with the late Justice David M. Shea of the Connecticut Supreme Court. 

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Information topics (just click on the blue heading):  

Planning for the disabled 
Planning for the elderly 
Living Trusts 
Tax Planning 
Tax-Exempt Organizations  

Page last updated January 19, 2023

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Disclaimer:
This site was first created in 1997 by a kind friend and is updated by me for the general informational use of the public. Writing to me does not create an attorney-client relationship; I can only provide general information, and will not provide advice about a particular case without a formal engagement.

Web-site design by Tintern Productions 

Lisa Nachmias Davis
Davis O'Sullivan & Priest LLC
Attorneys at Law
59 Elm Street, Suite 540
New Haven, CT 06510 
Phone: 203-776-4400 
Fax: 203-774-1060
davis@sharinglaw.net