Both attorneys are not only board certified in elder law but have the distinction of seeking this accreditation relatively early in their careers. Committed to assisting caregivers and families with a particular focus in asset protection planning for long-term care, special needs trusts, SSI preservation, and guardianship is what they live for.

While there are hundreds of attorneys in Jacksonville, only five are board certified in elder law. As most legal professionals are aware, earning the status of board certification is a complex and often arduous process that requires not only knowledge and expertise, but also a certain number of years of reputable practice as well as the recommendation of your peers.

Interestingly, both attorneys set this goal early on, anxious to reach the pinnacle of their profession. Trinca-Conley is one of the youngest elder law attorneys in the state of Florida, and very possibly the youngest to be board certified.

“I passed the bar when I was 25,” she says, “and I sat for the board certification exam as soon as I possibly could. In Florida, the requirements are that you have a minimum of five years in practice along with the other criteria. I applied to take the exam when I was 30 and actually took it when I was 31, and very thankfully passed on the first try. I have to say that studying during COVID was quite a unique experience.”

Bryant was equally focused on achieving this status.

“I knew I wanted to become board certified very early on,” he says. “Even when I first started practicing, although I didn’t articulate myself as an elder law attorney, I knew I wanted to do transactional law which ultimately grew into elder law. Once it really crystalized that was where my true interest was, which was in late 2010, I decided that I was going to become board certified as quickly as I could accomplish it.

“Thankfully, I was able to identify my specialty relatively quickly and set about making the time to prepare for the exam while growing the practice,” he continues. “At the time when I was prepping for it, I didn’t have the luxury or energy to study for it like I did for the bar. I definitely tried to plan my studying by taking as many pertinent elder law cases as possible, not so much to learn on the job, but rather to perfect on the job. I realized that if you’re not looking far enough in the future with the intent of becoming board certified, you can’t expect to just wake up one day and say, ‘Hey, I think I’ll do this.’ It really requires both time and a lot of preparation.”