“I enjoy that I’m not always fixing a problem but instead helping clients avoid problems down the road,” said attorney Lauren Enea, of Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano LLP , a White Plains- and Somers-based law firm of which her father, Anthony J. Enea, is a founding member.
“Many areas of the law are reactive to a specific situation, such as a lawsuit or injury,” Enea told Westfair’s Westchester County Business Journal in a recent e-mail interview, but her own legal specialization of estate planning and elder law is a proactive area, one that helps individuals and families ensure that their life savings are protected and that their assets are distributed to loved ones according to their wishes, avoiding ‘problems’ down the line.
Enea believes that it’s never too early – or indeed too late – to start planning for the future, particularly with insurance premium increases, Medicaid cuts and estate planning changes ahead for 2026.
As the new year approaches, she encourages families to use holiday time together to check in on health, safety and daily living needs. Conversations may include whether a loved one feels safe living at home, needs support with transportation or medication management or has experienced recent falls, hospitalizations or confusion. Approached with compassion rather than criticism, these discussions, Enea said, can lead to planning that supports both autonomy and well-being.
“While no one wants to spend Christmas dinner talking about legal documents, the holidays often shine a light on the need for better planning and clearer communication,” Enea said. “With compassion and guidance, these conversations can strengthen family relationships and ensure aging loved ones feel protected, supported and heard.”
While that reads like a sound idea on paper, the Journal wondered how realistic it is to initiate conversations at what is, or should be, an essentially festive time.
“It may not sound realistic at first, but in practice, it happens more often than people realize. This month alone, I’ve had a number of clients declare that they would be discussing their finances with their families over the holidays, ‘when they are all in one place.’” She added that the holidays are sometimes the only time all year that families are together, and those gatherings often bring subtle changes to light, health concerns, mobility issues, or lapses in memory that weren’t apparent before. “The conversations may not appear until after a few eggnogs have been enjoyed, but opening the door to conversation is possible.”
Her advice is to approach these conversations gently and with empathy, not urgency or criticism. “Start by checking in – asking how someone is feeling, whether they feel safe at home, or if they’ve had recent health changes.” Framing the discussion around support and peace of mind is likely to make it far more productive, she said. “Even small conversations can open the door to proactive planning later.”
Enea added that one of the most common mistakes in planning is failing to update documents after major life changes – marriage, divorce, births, deaths or changes in finances or health. At her own practice, Enea focuses not only on what clients want to happen, but how their plans will play out in real life, especially during periods of incapacity or in the case of long-term care needs.
Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, LLP, which has been in business for more than 20 years, has seven full-time attorneys, four paralegals and seven office staff.ers Enea works with clients on matters involving wills, trusts and estates, Medicaid planning, special needs planning and probate and estate administration. She also assists business owners and high-net-worth individuals with estate tax planning when New York state and federal estate tax considerations apply.
On the all-important question of fees and how they are structured – a consideration which can often discourage people approaching an attorney in the first place – Enea said that charges “truly” depend on the complexity of the work to be accomplished and on the “type of matter.” Some legal work, she said, lends itself better to a flat-fee approach, others an hourly approach, adding that “fortunately, estate planning is highly customizable.”
Westfair’s own advice to its Eye on Small Business readers? Good estate planning and elder law is, in reality, no “small” business. It is extremely consequential. So, get mixing that jug of eggnog and start those conversations rolling.
