Background

Elizabeth was born and raised in Metropolis, Illinois, and currently resides in Paducah, Kentucky.  She joined Whitlow, Roberts, Houston & Straub, PLLC as an Associate in August of 2007, soon after graduating from Southern Illinois University School of Law in May of 2007.  Ms. Wieneke became a Member of the firm in January 2015.

 

Experience

Ms. Wieneke worked in the legal field while an undergraduate at Murray State University. She gained experience during law school as a research assistant to two professors, interning with the Massac County State’s Attorney, working at the SIU Elder Clinic and as a member of the Southern Illinois University Law Journal.

During her years at the firm Ms. Wieneke has assisted clients with a wide variety of needs.  She advises both personal representatives and beneficiaries throughout the estate and trust administration process and drafts documents related thereto.  She advises clients regarding estate planning and drafts related documents including wills, powers of attorney, living will directives, testamentary trusts, revocable trusts and irrevocable trusts.  She has drafted and reviewed prenuptial agreements.

Ms. Wieneke advises clients and their families regarding a variety of elder law issues, including pre-planning and estate planning for clients looking toward their potential long term care needs; Medicaid qualification and application; and qualification for Veterans Administration benefits.  She drafts special needs trusts and qualifying income trusts and has facilitated and defended guardianship actions.

As a function of both estate planning and business planning, Ms. Wieneke advises clients and drafts documents for business succession planning for family farms and a variety of other businesses, including stock restriction and buy-sell agreements, share transfer agreements, promissory notes, and documents related to business formation and business management.

Ms. Wieneke’s real estate and property law practice focuses on performing title exams for residential, commercial and agricultural properties and mineral acquisitions and resolving title issues.  She facilitates real estate closings for cash and lender-financed sales.  She assists clients with a variety of property law issues and drafts documents effecting the transfer and ownership of real estate including deeds, mortgages, real estate purchase and sale agreements, residential, commercial and agricultural lease agreements, boundary line agreements, and easement agreements.

Ms. Wieneke has litigation experience in matters related to her practice areas including foreclosure actions, quiet title actions, petitions for declaratory judgment, petitions for trust ramification and interpretation, minors’ settlements, and collection actions.

Licenses and Associations

• Kentucky Bar, 2007
• Illinois Bar, 2008
• Illinois Bar Association
• Kentucky Bar Association
  • Executive Committee, Young Lawyers Division
• McCracken County Bar Association

 

Education

• Murray State University, B.A. 2004, summa cum laude
  • Psi Chi, the National Psychology Honor Society, Member
  • Outstanding Pre-Law Student Nominee, 2004
• Southern Illinois University, J.D. 2007,  cum laude
  • Highest grade honors, Property I and Lawyering Skills II
  • Articles Editor, SIU Law Journal

 

Publications and Presentations

• Property and Custom:  Allocating Spaces in Public Places, 79 Temple L. Rev. 199 (2006)
• Research assistant for case note dealing with the conflicting requirements of the Uniform Commercial Code and Tax Code notice filing systems
• Secured or Unsecured? Analysis of United States v. Crestmark Bank, 412 F. 3d 653 (6^th Cir. 2005), 31 SIU L. J. 707 (Spring 2007)

Estate planning and elder law seminars and presentations to:

• Estate Planning for Farmers and Ranchers, National Business Institute, Louisville, KY
• Estate Planning for Farmers and Ranchers, National Business Institute, Lexington, KY
• The Probate Process From Start to Finish, National Business Institute, Paducah, KY
• The Farm Journal Legacy Project, Developed by Farm Journal and Supported by DuPont Pioneer, Paducah, KY
• West Kentucky Community and Technical College, Adult Education Program, Estate Planning and Elder Law seminar class each semester
• Investment advisors and their clients
• Senior groups
• Alzheimer’s support groups
• Extended living facility residents and their families
• Insurance professionals
• Zonta International, Paducah Area Chapter
• Western Kentucky Paralegals Association

Recent continuing education seminars attended:

• The Real Estate Law and Practice Institute, University of Kentucky College of Law, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2015
• The Estate Planning Institute, University of Kentucky College of Law, 2008 – 2015
• Estate Planning in Depth, University of Wisconsin, 2010 and 2011

 

Community Service

• Family Service Society, Board Member and Board Secretary
• Zonta International, Paducah Chapter, past Secretary
  (an organization raising funds and awareness to benefit women and children in need of assistance)
• Merryman House Domestic Crisis Center, past Board Member and past Board Secretary, Vice Chair and Chair elect
• Paducah-McCracken County Senior Citizens Center, past Board Member and past Board President
• Leadership Paducah Class 24 (assisted with class project to aid St. Nicholas Family Clinic)
• Paducah/McCracken County Relay for Life, Volunteer
• United Way, Volunteer
• Lawyer’s CARE Program of the Kentucky Bar Foundation
  • Coordinator and Instructor, credit abuse resistance education