Bernard A. Krooks

Bernard A. Krooks is a founding partner of the law firm Littman Krooks and Chair of its Elder Law and Special Needs Department. Mr. Krooks is a nationally recognized expert in all aspects of elder law and special needs planning. Mr. Krooks is the Past President of the Board of Directors of the Arc of Westchester, the largest agency in Westchester County serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. He is a member of the NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame and is the recipient of the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP®) Distinguished designation. Mr. Krooks is past President of the Special Needs Alliance (SNA), a national, invitation-only, not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting families with special needs planning. He is past President of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), a Fellow of NAELA, past Chair of the NAELA Tax Section and past Editor-in-Chief of the NAELA News. In addition, he is certified as a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA®) by the National Elder Law Foundation and is an Accredited Estate Planner(AEP®). He is a founding member and past President of the New York Chapter of NAELA. In 2007, his firm received the NYSARC employer of the year award for employing people with disabilities. In 2008, he received the Chapter’s Outstanding Achievement Award for his lifelong work on behalf of seniors and those with disabilities. In 2011, his firm received the Family Friendly Employment Policy Award from the Westchester Women’s Bar Association. In 2016, he was named Advocate of the Year Award from the Arc of Westchester Children’s School for Early Development. Mr. Krooks is past Chair of the Elder Law and Special Needs Section of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) and past Editor-in-Chief of the Elder Law Attorney, the newsletter of the NYSBA Elder Law and Special Needs Section. He also is a member of the Trusts and Estates Law Section and Tax Section of the NYSBA. Mr. Krooks co-authored (1) a chapter in the NYSBA publication Guardianship Practice in New York State entitled “Creative Advocacy in Guardianship Settings: Medicaid and Estate Planning, Including Transfer of Assets, Supplemental Needs Trusts & Protection of Disabled Family Members;” and (2) the NYSBA publication Elder Law, Special Needs Planning and Will Drafting. He is chair of the elder law committee of the editorial advisory board of Trusts & Estates Magazine and served on the editorial boards of Exceptional Parent Magazine and Leimberg Information Services. Mr. Krooks, a sought-after expert on elder law, special needs planning and estate planning matters, has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Newsweek, Forbes, Investment News, Financial Times, Money Magazine, Smart Money, Worth Magazine, Kiplinger’s, Bloomberg, Consumer Reports, Wealth Manager, CBS Marketwatch.com, Lawyer’s Weekly USA, Reader’s Digest, Bottom Line, The Journal of Financial Planning, The New York Law Journal, The Daily News, New York Post and Newsday, among others.