Susana Lannik

Susana founded Lannik Law in 1991, converting what had been a general law practice into an Elder Law and Estate Planning practice focusing on the legal and care needs of seniors and their families. This "turn on a dime" conversion of a general practice to the Elder Law specialty was inspired by one couple who feared loss of everything they ever earned due to a dementing illness of one of them. The family was looking to her for help, and although she understood how to draft an estate plan-a plan for what happens to your assets when you die-- she was startled to realize that the clients' concerns fell under the category of "What happens if you live and suffer some disability. How do you pay for it without losing everything?"

The unfairness of this family's situation led her to ask them to give her a chance to research their situation to discover where in the law they would find help. In short, this couple inspired Susana to discover Elder Law and at that time, the Medicaid system. There were few practitioners in the field, and Susana realized that seniors were an underserved or at least a poorly served group. At that time Elder Law focused on the Medicaid system and how it could be utilized for long-term care assistance while preserving a family's assets for the well spouse and the family in general.

This "new" area of the law was intriguing because Susana knew that she would be exploring uncharted legal territory; and that there was room in this type of practice to expand services (legal and otherwise) to older clients and their families. She knew that there had to be much more that could be done. Thus, Susana never turned back and moved forward to create the full-service practice that she has today. Her specialty areas are listed below.

During the course of her career trajectory, Susana entered into a caregiver role in the case of both her parents. She learned that there are services that are available to assist caregivers and has incorporated this knowledge into her practice as a resource for those who need to care for a parent or a spouse.

Recently, Susana began to realize a dream to educate clients and others through lunch and learn Webinars presenting selected guest speakers. These webinars will enable Lannik Law to bring other outside services to the attention of clients and any other attendees. It is called "Beyond the Law" because most of the topics are not strictly about the law. It is a Lannik Law service to let people know about all of the help there is out there to deal with many issues such as caregiving, estate appraisal, downsizing, financial planning, insurance, and activities that seniors and their families might enjoy. In this way the clients AND their families and caregivers are served with more than just a set of documents.

Susana received her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 1982; she is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and nationally at the U.S. Supreme Court level. Susana is certified as an Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation, and has a "Superb" (10) AVVO Rating for attorneys. She was also honored by the Leading Lawyers on Estate and Long-Term Care Planning Group as "Superb."

She has served on various non-profit committees and boards in Massachusetts and North Carolina. Some of these include the Newton Chestnut Hill Historic Commission, Boston Ballet Board of Advisors, and Board of Visitors for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

When Susana is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and now grown son. She and her husband have been attending art exhibitions and collecting art for years. She has accompanied her husband on his photo expeditions in the cities and countries ranging across the globe- Boston, New York, Moscow, Havana, London, Italy and France. She recently took on the role of "Sherpa" for her son who spends his non-working time as an avid wildlife photographer. They have explored both Cape Cod and Kenya for the wildlife. Susana also has a background in and love for the Classical Ballet. Her favorite animals are cats and giraffes.