ElderCounsel Principals

Michael J. Amoruso, Esq.

Michael is the Managing Partner of Amoruso & Amoruso, LLP located in Rye Brook, New York. He concentrates his practice on Elder Care, Asset Preservation, Estate Planning, Estate Administration, and Guardianship. He is Chair-elect of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Elder Law Section, member of the Executive Committee, and serves as Chair of the Legislation Committee and is the former Chair of the Estate & Tax Planning

Committee and the Leadership Task Force. Michael is a 2007 recipient of the prestigious NYSBA Elder Law Section Award for work as a principal drafter of the New York State Compact for Long Term Care - a pending bill that offers an alternative to Medicaid coverage for long term care services. Michael also serves as President-Elect of the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and Co-Chair of the Westchester County Bar Association Elder Law Committee. Michael is a published author and frequent lecturer for the NYSBA, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), and the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. Michael received his B.A. in Economics and Finance from Boston College and his J.D. with a concentration in Taxation from Boston College Law School. He is licensed to practice law in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Howard S. Krooks, Esq., CELA

Howard is a partner in Elder Law Associates PA, with offices in Boca Raton, Aventura, Weston, and West Palm Beach, Florida, and serves as Of Counsel to Amoruso & Amoruso LLP in New York. As a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation, Howard devotes his professional time to Elder Law and Trusts & Estates matters, including Asset Preservation Planning, Supplemental Needs Trusts, Medicaid, Medicare, Planning for Disability and Guardianship. Howard is a past Chair of

the NYSBA Elder Law Section, where he currently serves on the Executive Committee, and is a member of the Board of Directors and an officer (Secretary) of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). He also serves on the Board of the NY Chapter of NAELA, and is a member of the Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys and the Joint Public Policy Task Force of the Florida Bar Elder Law Section where he also serves on the Executive Council. Howard received the 2006 Most Outstanding Member Award of the NY Chapter of NAELA and the 2007 NYSBA Elder Law Section Award for work as a principal drafter of the NY State Compact for Long Term Care. He earned a B.S. in Accounting from SUNY Albany (summa cum laude) and his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Howard is admitted to the New York and Florida State Bars. 

Louis W. Pierro, Esq.

Lou is the founder and principal of Pierro Law Group, LLC, and concentrates his practice in the areas of Estate Planning, Estate and Trust Administration, Business Succession Planning, and Elder Law. He has chaired the NYSBA Elder Law Section; the Estate Planning Committee and the Committee on Taxation of the Trusts and Estates Law Section; and the Long-Term Care Reform Committee of the Elder Law Section; and serves on the Executive

Committee of both Sections. Lou is a frequent lecturer on estate planning, tax planning, and issues that affect the elderly and their families on the state, national, and collegiate levels, serving as adjunct professor at Sienna College from 1987-1995. He recently co-authored Healthcare Without Medicare, a new practice manual for community-based care management. He has served as a Director of the Estate Planning Council of Eastern New York, Inc.; the Capital Area Consortium on Aging and Disability, Senior Services of Albany, Inc.; Alzheimer's Association of Northeast New York; McAuley Residence and a member of the Albany County Bar Association (Chair, Elder Law Committee 1993-1998), NAELA, and the American Bar Association, Probate and Trust Section. A graduate of Lehigh University and Albany Law School, Lou is licensed to practice in all New York State Courts, the US Supreme Court and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Vincent J. Russo, J.D., LL.M., CELA

Vincent is the managing Shareholder of Vincent J. Russo & Associates, P.C., Long Island's Signature Elder Law, Special Needs and Estate Planning Law firm with offices in Westbury, Islandia, Lido Beach, and Woodbury, New York. He has championed the rights of seniors and people with special needs since 1985 and is Founding Member, Fellow and Past President of NAELA. Vincent is nationally recognized for his contributions and achievements in

the field of Elder Law and Estate Planning. He is a Founding Member and Past Chair of the NYSBA Elder Law Section, Founding Chair of the Legal Advisory Committee, Alzheimer's Association, Long Island Chapter and Co-Founder of the Academy of Special Needs Planners. He is a co-author of the New York Elder Law Practice. Vincent has testified before Congress on Medicaid and his guest appearances on the "Today" show on NBC, as well as CNN, FOX, C-SPAN, New York Times Forum and NEWS 12 Long Island, have provided him with both a local and national platform to address the concerns of the elderly and their families. Vincent earned his law degree from Fordham University and his LLM in Taxation from Boston University. He is admitted to the New York, Massachusetts and Florida State Bars, and is a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation.