From Paralegal to Partner: Melissa Negrin-Wiener, Esq., Honored for 15 Years at Cona Elder Law

Melissa Negrin-Wiener, elder law attorney and partner at Cona Elder Law, elder law and estate planning firm, was honored for her 15 years of service and dedication to the firm.   Managing partner Jennifer Cona presented Melissa with a special cut glass award at a ceremony in her honor.

Melissa’s goal had always been to pursue a career in elder law.  After beginning her legal career in matrimonial law, Melissa took a position as a paralegal at Cona Elder Law in order to break into the field of elder law.  In less than one year, she advanced to an associate attorney position.  A decade later, Melissa was named partner and placed in charge of Cona Elder Law’s Government Benefits Department.

“From day one, Melissa had the perfect combination of skills required to be successful in the field of elder law,” states Jennifer Cona.  “She has both passion for this area of law as well as compassion for our clients.  Clients love Melissa because she is not just a top-notch legal expert but she makes the issues easy to understand and puts clients and their families at ease.  That is so important when families are facing stressful situations and difficult decisions.”

In addition to providing legal services, Melissa has developed programs to help seniors in need, such as Cona Elder Law’s Senior Dreams Come True that grants wishes to low income seniors.  She often speaks at assisted living facilities, senior centers and organizations to educate the public and professionals on how to protect assets, balance work and elder caregiving and Medicaid planning.

“I could never imagine working at any other firm besides Cona Elder Law,” says Melissa.  “Cona Elder Law has allowed me to grow personally and professionally with the full support and weight of the firm behind me.  I have been able to launch innovative programs in response to our clients’ needs, such as our elder care employee benefits program TAWC: Tools and Advice for Working Caregivers and our Caregiver Resource Center.  After seeing families torn apart by litigation, the firm supported me in launching a mediation practice group after I became an Advanced Elder Law Mediator trained by the New York Peace Institute.”

Melissa has received many awards including Long Island Business News’ “Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business” as well as the prestigious “Leadership in the Law” award.  She received the “40 Under 40 Rising Stars on Long Island” award and the Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney award from Touro Law School.  Melissa currently serves as co-chair of the Healthcare Committee of the Hauppauge Industrial Association of Long Island.  She is the immediate past President of the Suffolk County Women’s Bar Association and was the past co-chair of the Elder Law Committee.  She is a State Certified Court Examiner, Court Evaluator and Counsel to Guardian and incapacitated persons and is accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Melissa is an Advanced Elder Law Mediator and serves on the Nassau County Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Panel.

Melissa is a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association’s Elder Law Committee, the New York State Bar Association, the Nassau County Bar Association, the Suffolk County Women’s Bar Association and the Advanced Elder Law Focus Group.  She is also a member of the Hauppauge Industrial Association (HIA), Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and serves as the Charities Coordinator for 100 Women Who Care about Long Island.  Melissa received her Juris Doctor from Hofstra University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Law from Binghamton University.

About Cona Elder Law

Cona Elder Law is recognized as a leading elder law and estate planning firm on Long Island.  The firm has been ranked the #1 Elder Law firm by Long Island Business News for the past 6 years and was recently honored as “A Firm That Makes a Difference” by the Hauppauge Industrial Association (HIA-LI) and has been a finalist in the HIA Business Achievement Awards.  Cona Elder Law is known for its charitable works and has received the Outstanding Corporation Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. 

The firm provides creative advocacy and cutting edge planning strategies and has been featured in many publications including: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, L.I. Business News, Investor’s Business Daily, USA Today, The Daily News, The New York Post, Kiplinger’s, Reader's Digest and many others.   Cona Elder Law attorneys have appeared as guests on WNBC-TV, WABC-TV, News 12, WLNY News 55 and many radio stations including WOR, WCBS AM, WBAB and WFAN.

For a free Guide to Elder Law and Estate Planning, visit us at www.conaelderlaw.com, e-mail elder@conalaw.com or call 631.390.5000