Margaret Heuring Resan graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in May, 2006, and was admitted to the State Bar of Wisconsin in June 2006. Prior to law school, Ms. Resan received her undergraduate degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin in 1996, and taught high school special education in Madison, Wisconsin for 8 years.
While in law school, Ms. Resan had an externship at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Office of Legal Counsel, participated in the law school’s Elder Law Clinic, and worked as a law clerk at the Elder Law Center of the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups. She also served as an officer in both the Public Interest Law Foundation and Student Attorneys for Elder Law and Advocacy. She served as a student liaison to the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Elder Law Section Board.
As a 2006-2007 Borchard Fellow, Ms. Resan is working with the Wisconsin Guardianship Support Center of the Elder Law Center of the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups, on its Adult Protection Education Project. The Wisconsin Guardianship Support Center is a primary source in Wisconsin for education about the laws governing guardianship, protective services and placement, and advance directives. In the past year, the Wisconsin Legislature has passed major revisions to current law governing guardianship, adult-at-risk abuse and reporting, and protective services.
The Support Center is providing training to those impacted by the changes in the law, including county employees such as elder abuse investigators, case managers, adult protective service workers, and registers in probate; private hospital and nursing home staff; corporate, volunteer, and family guardians; and members of the private bar. Ms. Resan is doing detailed analysis of new legislation, producing training and outreach materials, and writing articles about topics included in the new legislation for various publications. Ms. Resan is also conducting training workshops in many locations throughout Wisconsin, reaching hundreds of participants.
Ms. Resan is also providing legal information, case consultation and referral services through the Wisconsin Guardianship Hotline, which is a toll-free hotline available to any individual with questions regarding guardianship, advance directives, elder abuse, and other legal issues that impact elders and vulnerable adults. The hotline serves over 6000 callers per year. Additionally, Ms. Resan is providing direct legal services to local elders who could not otherwise afford representation through partnerships with the Elder Law Center and local private elder law practitioners.
