Hillary Johns | Trial Law

John Florsch | Elder Law

In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin speaks with John Florsch, senior counsel at RLGC Law Group in Albany, New York. John focuses his practice on elder law, Medicaid planning, and residential real estate and title insurance, helping families navigate one of the most complex and emotionally charged areas of the legal system. John shares how an estate planning course in law school unexpectedly redirected his ambitions away from criminal defense and corporate law, and how an internship with an elder law firm revealed the depth of connection possible with clients facing placement and care decisions. Nearly two decades later, he is still doing the same work — and still finding it as meaningful as ever. He also walks through a sobering case in which both parents were placed in nursing homes simultaneously, generating invoices of up to forty-six thousand dollars a month, while a free non-legal service submitted an incomplete and potentially damaging Medicaid application that sat pending for nine months. John explains how he was able to step in, identify key exemptions, and ultimately preserve a significant portion of the family's assets. Topics covered: * From criminal defense ambitions to elder law specialist * Crisis Medicaid planning and nursing home placement * The dangers of free non-legal Medicaid filing services * Navigating simultaneous nursing home placement for both parents * Referral fee arrangements and their impact on facility placement decisions * The five-year look-back rule and why it's not the end of the road * Why consulting an elder law attorney before placement can preserve fifty to sixty percent of assets Connect with John Florsch:  Phone: (518) 250-4264   Email: jflorsch@rlgclaw.com

Shauna Anderson | Trusts, Estates, and Tax Law

In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin speaks with Shauna Anderson, partner and owner at Law Stein Anderson in Irvine, California. Shauna practices trusts, estates, and tax law, advocating for clients during family inheritance disputes and probate proceedings while helping families protect their assets through thoughtful estate planning. Shauna shares how a family member in the legal profession inspired her ambition to become an attorney from elementary school age, and how working with children with learning disabilities during law school shaped her belief that legal practice should always make a meaningful impact on people's lives. That same calling led her to the senior community, where clients navigating the loss of a spouse or the onset of diminished capacity need both legal guidance and genuine human support. She also recounts a deeply moving client story: a woman who had spent her career as a hairstylist, raised her children, and never managed the family finances — only to discover after losing her husband of more than fifty years that she was now responsible for thirty million dollars in real estate assets she never knew existed. Topics covered: - A lifelong calling to law and its roots in community impact - From disability rights advocacy to trusts and estates law - Serving the senior community through life's most difficult transitions - Helping a client discover and navigate a thirty-million-dollar estate - The emotional and legal dimensions of trust administration - Why preparation and family education prevent inheritance disputes - Transparency is the most important trait of an effective trustee Connect with Shauna Anderson: Email: sra@lsalawyers.com Phone: (949) 501-4800 Website: lsalawyers.com

Michael Fried | Matrimonial and Family Law

In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin speaks with Michael Fried, partner at Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein in New York City. Michael is an experienced litigator and trial attorney who has practiced exclusively in matrimonial and family law since 1997, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers — one of the most selective designations in the field. Michael shares how a desire to specialize rather than generalize led him into family law straight out of law school, and how an early internship helping battered women obtain orders of protection confirmed that the courtroom — and this area of the law — was where he belonged. He explains how his firm approaches divorce through three distinct paths: mediation, collaborative law, and litigation, and why having attorneys who are deeply expert in each makes all the difference for clients. He also recounts a month-and-a-half custody trial in Brooklyn that ultimately kept a child rooted in her home, her school, and her community — and the Christmas cards he still receives from that client more than a decade later. Topics covered: - Why Michael chose to specialize in matrimonial law from day one - The rise of specialization in the legal profession - Mediation, collaborative law, and litigation as three paths to resolution - A high-stakes custody trial and a client whose life was changed - Why organization and document preparation are critical in divorce cases - Serving high-net-worth clients in matrimonial and family law - What it means to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Connect with Michael Fried: Email: mfried@berkbot.com Phone: (212) 867-9123 Website: berkbot.com

Alfonso Vilaboa | Corporate and International Business Law

In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin speaks with Alfonso Vilaboa, partner at Miller Shah in New York City. Alfonso focuses his practice on international corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity, serving as outside general counsel for European and South American companies establishing operations in the United States. Alfonso shares how his father's advice about the versatility of a legal career steered him away from his dream of becoming a diplomat — and how that decision ultimately led him from Uruguay to New York, where he now leads the corporate department at a full-service firm. He explains how his practice spans strategic M&A, private equity, and venture capital transactions, as well as ongoing outside-counsel work for international businesses navigating the US market. He also walks through a complex cross-border transaction in which he served as quarterback for the sale of a telecom robotics company with offices across the US, UK, Netherlands, India, and Australia — coordinating multiple international firms, navigating foreign exchange regulations, cultural differences, and time zones, all while helping a founder honor his commitment to his employees through a complex executive compensation structure. Topics covered: - From Uruguay to New York — building an international corporate law career - Leading the corporate department at Miller Shah - M&A, private equity, and outside general counsel for international businesses - Serving as a transaction quarterback across multiple countries and time zones - Navigating founder dynamics in a family-owned business sale - Cross-border executive compensation and foreign exchange challenges - Why great M&A counsel goes far beyond redlining documents Connect with Alfonso Vilaboa: Phone: (866) 540-5505 Email: amvilaboa@millershah.com Website: millershah.com

Pamela Price | Attorney at Law

In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin speaks with Pamela Price, attorney at law in Oakland, California. With over forty years of legal experience, Pamela serves small and medium-sized businesses in the Oakland and East Bay areas, bringing a career defined by courage, persistence, and a commitment to using the law as a tool to serve people. Pamela shares how a juvenile arrest at a civil rights demonstration and a path through Yale College first shaped her relationship with the law — and how meeting movement lawyers showed her that legal practice could be a force for good. She recounts how a client she turned down three times kept returning to her office until she finally accepted his case, ultimately leading her to argue before the United States Supreme Court and win after nearly a decade of litigation. She also reflects on what it meant to stand before the Supreme Court as a Black woman from a small Oakland firm, the challenges she faced even within the courthouse walls, and how being named California Lawyer of the Year followed one of the most extraordinary legal victories of her career. Topics covered: * A path to law through civil rights, Yale, and movement lawyering * The client she turned down three times — and why she finally said yes * Nearly ten years of litigation and arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court * What it meant to be a Black woman arguing before the nation's highest court * Being named California Lawyer of the Year in employment law * Forty years of serving small and medium-sized businesses in Oakland * Why courage and persistence are the foundation of legal excellence Connect with Pamela Price:  Website: pypesq.com  Email: pamela@thepamelaprice.com