What does a District Delegate do?
By: Philip A. Di Giorgio, Esq.
Di Giorgio Law Firm, PLLC
5th District Delegate to the
Elder Law and Special Needs Section
Do District Delegates actually do anything or are those positions just plums given out to certain members of the Bar to make them look important and feel good about themselves?
If you really want to know the official line, you can just take a look at the Elder Law and Special Needs Section website. There is a list of duties there that would be enough to keep a retired lawyer busy all year long if they really took the role seriously. I have to confess; I have been District Delegate for the 5th District (Central NY) for nearly a year and a half now and I have not yet gotten to everything on the list. But I am working my way through the list, learning a lot and enjoying myself along the way.
I would like to share some of my experiences as a District Delegate with you now, to give you an idea of some of the opportunities that are available to active members of the Section.
I am an active member of the Section’s Medicaid and Estates Trusts and Tax Issues Committees. By participating in committees, you learn about new legislation and regulations impacting our practice areas. Committee members also share how they deal with complex legal issues and learn from one another to handle difficult cases and better serve their clients’ needs. Committee membership is not a requirement of the District Delegate role per se, but networking with other attorneys and keeping on top of the Section’s activities to share them with the members of the district is.
Another duty of District Delegates is to put on a “Health Care Decision Making Day”. I hosted one of these at the Utica Public Library this past spring where my paralegal and I prepared free health care proxies for attendees. Sadly, this event was underattended, but I have learned what a little advance promotion of an event can do, so I expect better results next year.
After several months of preparation and promotion, I hosted an event for attorneys who work and or reside in the 5th District to share the benefits of belonging to the Elder Law and Special Needs Section. The event was held at the historic Fort Schuyler Club in Utica, NY. Many thanks to the Oneida County Bar Association for helping to promote the event and for the many attorneys on the receiving end of the calls and emails encouraging participation. The event was well attended, and it was worth the effort. Attendees of the event enjoyed good food and beverages as they learned firsthand the value of Section membership while exchanging stories about past and current cases.
District Delegates are strongly encouraged to attend the Annual, Spring, Summer and Fall meetings of the Section. These events more than pay for themselves with the CLE Credits, networking opportunities and camaraderie that they offer attendees. Delegates are also encouraged to help put together these programs. I am currently helping to organize the Spring 2026 Un-Program for the Section. Although we do plan to offer a few CLE credits earned by attending traditional lectures and or panel discussions, the Un-Program is much more than that. Participants will be offered a series of discussion groups to attend. Each discussion group will be led by a facilitator, but all participants are encouraged to discuss their experiences and share ideas on how to solve problems. Some discussion groups offered will include topics on recent changes to the law and or regulations, others will offer opportunities for newcomers to learn about the nuts and bolts of the Elder Law and Special Needs practice or for more experienced practitioners to learn about the latest techniques. There will also be several discussion groups dedicated to tips on law office management for small firms, and solo practitioners.
District Delegates are sometimes asked to attend Executive Committee cabinet meeting to vote on issues affecting the section and to attend the Executive Committee meetings at the Annual, Spring, Summer and Fall meetings. Attending Executive Committee meetings is a great way to learn about what is going on in the Elder Law and Special Needs Section Community. Discussions are held on topics ranging from new legislation to practice development and how the Section raises and spends the funds in its budget. One of the jobs of a District Delegate is to invite Section members to attend an Executive Committee meeting to observe the goings on, so if you are interested just let me know and I will see that you receive an invitation.
District Delegates are also supposed to support and write for the Elder Law and Special Needs Journal from time to time. So, writing this article is a way of fulfilling one of my obligations as a Delegate. But don’t worry, you don’t have to be a District Delegate to submit an article, you just have to have a good idea to share.
To sum it all up, my time serving as District Delegate has allowed me to play an important role in the Section and to do good for my clients and other members of the Section. But, if you want to know a secret, you don’t have to be a District Delegate to do most of the things District Delegates do. If you are interested in learning more about what the Elder Law and Special Needs Section has to offer or how to get more involved in what the Section does, just ask me, or one of the other Delegates, we will be happy to talk to you.