Elder Law of Michigan : Who We Are : Our Staff

Our Staff of Professionals

Elder Law has a dedicated team of caring and knowledgeable professionals ready to assist families with opportunities that aging brings to their lives. These paid and unpaid staff are the heart of our organization. Our professionals include lawyers, social workers, human services specialists, retirees and students.

Check out employment and volunteer opportunities at Elder Law of Michigan.

Kate White, Executive Director

Kate White, Executive Director, has led Elder Law of Michigan from "three lawyers in a phone booth" to a nationally recognized provider of legal and aging services. Once limited to serving people in Michigan, the organization has grown to become a national voice in the conversation around independence and economic security for all people at all ages. Ms. White has a background in Humanities, with a Bachelors Degree from Michigan State University. Her career encompasses experience in the public and private sector in government, aging, employment and training and resource development. She presently serves on the State Bar of Michigan's Internal Cabinet, the State Bar of Michigan's State Planning Body, the Michigan Department of Community Health's Consumer Task Force, and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan's State Advisory Council. In 2011, Ms. White received the Liberty Bell Award from the State Bar of Michigan. She joined Elder Law in 1996.
Keith L. Morris, J.D., M.P.A., Deputy Director

Keith is the Deputy Director for Elder Law of Michigan. He has been with Elder Law since 2001, when he started as a volunteer while in law school.

Before joining Elder Law of Michigan, Keith worked for Bi-Lo, LLC for eleven years where he was a marketing analyst, data analyst, and customer service specialist. He relocated to Michigan to attend Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude in 2003. He currently teaches there as a visiting professor in Legal Research and Writing. Additionally, Keith recently completed his Masters in Public Administration from Western Michigan University, with a focus on non-profit administration.
Ron Tatro, Director of Elder Abuse Prevention Services

Ron Tatro serves as the Director of Elder Abuse Prevention Services for Elder Law of Michigan. He brings more than forty years of human services experience including law enforcement and organizational management to the areas of elder abuse and fraud prevention.

Ron holds degrees in criminal justice and human services, and is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy. He has worked at the state, regional and national levels to address issues of abuse. Ron has directed a Crime Stoppers program, and is an experienced and effective trainer of law enforcement officers. In 2003 he was selected by the United States Marshals Service to receive the national Harry Belluomini Court Security Officer of the Year Award for service to the federal judicial system. As an expert on crime against the elderly and domestic violence, he was selected by the National Council on Aging to join partners in leading a national video advocacy program to help create public awareness on issues surrounding elder abuse. He is a nationally certified trainer on elder abuse issues.

He is a frequent presenter and trainer on abuse and fraud topics to professional, community and senior groups. He has appeared on television and radio shows and is often called upon an expert on these topics.
Robert Carowitz, J.D., M.L.S., Managing Attorney

Robert Carowitz has been a practicing attorney for over 32 years. Not long after graduating from law school, he developed an interest in the field Elder Law while volunteering as a supervising attorney at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School's Sixty Plus Elder Law Clinic. As a general practice lawyer during his years in private practice, Mr. Carowitz gained the breadth of legal knowledge necessary to counsel clients on a variety of legal subject areas. He joined the Legal Hotline for Michigan Seniors when it began in 1990 and his experience in many areas of law made him a skilled Hotline attorney. He's counseled thousands of seniors during his career at the Hotline.

Mr. Carowitz has written numerous Legal Hotline pamphlets that are sent out to Hotline callers, and authored dozens of monthly articles on Elder Law legal topics published in Council on Aging newsletters and small newspapers. In 2001, he co-authored Advancing Smartly: A Legal Handbook for Michigan Women Age 60+, with then Hotline Director, Kate Martin, Esq.

Mr. Carowitz graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School with a Juris Doctor degree. In addition, he holds a degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Michigan.
Pat Ocheltree, Benefits and Enrollment Options Center Manager

Pat Ocheltree is the Benefits and Enrollment Options Center Manager at Elder Law of Michigan, Inc. Prior to joining Elder Law, she was an investigator for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.

She holds a degree in history and biological science, having taught at the public school and professional levels in Ohio and Michigan. She has concentrated on organizational management and developing personnel and leadership skills. At Elder Law, she is part of a core group of experts and specialists devoted to working with consumers regarding benefits options and applications. She has presented to community groups on these topics.

Pat, as the BEOC Manager, assists with the recruitment, training and retention of volunteers. She served as the Assistant Director of the Consumer Fraud Prevention before moving into the BEOC position. In 2008 she was the recipient of an Operation ABLE award for her outstanding efforts in her work with a diverse group of volunteers in a positive and productive environment.
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Christa Schofield, J.D., Pension Rights Project Director

Christa Schofield directs the Mid-America Pension Rights Project, an Elder Law of Michigan program serving Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Ms. Schofield guides the pension counseling and advice project that also actively investigates and advocates individual pension claims.

Ms. Schofield joined Elder Law of Michigan in 1998. She developed expertise in elder law and long term care issues through her work with the Legal Hotline for Michigan Seniors and the Michigan Office of the Long Term Care Ombudsman before assuming leadership of the Pension Rights Project in 2006.

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ms. Schofield also holds a J.D. cum laude from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Brad Vauter, J.D., Community Liasion

Bradley A. Vauter is Community Liaison with Elder Law of Michigan, and has been with Elder Law since 2003.

Before joining Elder Law of Michigan, Mr. Vauter worked at the State Bar of Michigan as staff liaison to the Access to Justice Task Force and the Service Delivery Subcommittee work groups. His other public interest work includes service as a staff attorney for Legal Services of Northern Michigan, a grants manager at an ambulatory health clinic in NYC, the executive director of The AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, and an advocate for the Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service. Mr. Vauter was also a shareholder in a private firm called Post, Range and Vauter.

Mr. Vauter received his B.A. at Lake Superior State University (cum laude) and his J.D. from the Detroit College of Law. While attending law school, he worked full time at The Senior Alliance (area agency on aging 1-C). Brad is Chair Elect of the Elder Law and Disability Rights Section of the State Bar of Michigan, is an ICLE contributor, and has published articles in the Journal of the State Bar of Michigan. He's a frequent presenter and trainer on various topics related to aging and the law.
Lauretta K. Murphy, J.D., Board Chairperson

Lauretta K. Murphy joined the board of Elder Law of Michigan in 2004 and is currently the chair. Ms. Murphy is a member of the law firm of Miller Johnson and has been practicing law since 1988. Her practice areas include elder law and disability planning, and probate and estate planning. She specializes in elder law, trust and estate administration, and special needs. Ms. Murphy is a frequent trainer, speaker and media expert for professionals and community groups on Medicaid, estate planning, wills and trusts, planning for disability, living wills, patient advocate designations, planning to avoid probate, planning for disabled children, estate tax shelters, sophisticated estate planning techniques, elder law and other topics. Ms. Murphy is an editor of the fourth edition of "Advising the Older Client or Client with a Disability" published by The Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) released in 2009. She also contributed, as a co-author, to the chapter "Medicare Benefits and Procedures." Ms. Murphy is listed in the "Best Lawyers in America" for Trusts and Estates. She is a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). She was selected to join this prestigious professional association on the basis of her professional reputation and ability in the fields of trusts and estates and on the basis of having made substantial contributions to these fields through lecturing, writing, teaching, and bar activities. She has been named a Michigan "Super Lawyer" for Estate Planning and Probate. Ms. Murphy received her law degree magna cum laude in 1988 from Notre Dame Law School and her undergraduate degree summa cum laude in 1984 from Aquinas College. She is admitted to practice in Michigan.

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Our Staff of Professionals