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It’s All in the GenesIt’s All in the Genes

As scientific testing reveals some of our bodies’ predispositions—how should we plan for our future?

Michael Gilfix

October 2, 2012

16 Min Read
It’s All in the Genes

 

It can be exciting!

Splice that “high-cholesterol gene” out of there. Create the perfect child. She’ll be the athletic genius you always wanted to be. Get rid of that weak chin, that spontaneous giggle that wells up in the most inopportune circumstances. Find that gene and snip it out!

While these opportunities exist in science fiction, we’re not quite there in the real world, but we’re getting close. (See “Advances in Genetic Testing,” p. 19.)

 

Developments in our ability to use and understand genetic information and the passage of new legislation have profound legal and estate-planning implications. These advances present equally challenging questions for employers, health care providers and insurers. For example, what if an insurer doe...

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About the Author

Michael Gilfix

Gilfix & La Poll Associates, LLP

Michael Gilfix is a nationally known authority in the field of law, aging and estate planning. A 1973 graduate of Stanford Law School, he is a Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), a co-founder of NAELA, and a Certified Legal Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Mr. Gilfix regularly addresses professional audiences, including attorneys, physicians, certified public accountants, and financial planners, nationally as well as locally.
An entrepreneur in the legal field, Mr. Gilfix created the first legal aid program for elders in 1973. He served as Executive Director of that program, Senior Adults Legal Assistance (SALA) of Santa Clara County, for ten years. In 1983 he created the law firm that is today known as Gilfix & La Poll Associates LLP . 

Mr. Gilfix is a California legal advisor to Partnership For Caring, the national organization devoted to rights of individuals to make their own health care decisions. 
A highly respected practitioner and a prolific author, Mr. Gilfix is co-author of Tax, Estate & Financial Planning for the Elderly: Forms and Practice (Matthew Bender) and is the principal author of Medi-Cal and Asset Preservation, a book- length set of materials for practicing attorneys. He regularly contributes to a wide variety of legal journals such as Trusts and Estates Magazine, where his writings have discussed the role of personal values in estate planning, life care communities, and asset preservation planning.