L. JOYELLE DEFELICE (Joy) is an associate in Cohen and Wolf's Trusts and Estates, Tax and Elder Law Groups. Resident in the firm's Bridgeport office, Ms. DeFelice practices in the areas of estate planning, estate administration, taxation and elder law. Ms. DeFelice helps clients achieve their tax savings goals by providing strategic advice on legal matters related to complex estate planning issues. She further assists elderly and disabled clients with Medicaid asset preservation planning. Additionally, Ms. DeFelice has also assisted municipal clients in retirement planning and operational issues in connection with their retirement plans.
Ms. DeFelice is admitted to practice in Connecticut and the U.S. Tax Court, and is a member of the American, Connecticut, Fairfield County and Greater Bridgeport Bar Associations. She serves on the Tax Executive Committee and the Elder Law Executive Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association. She is also a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. She serves on the board of the Coalition for the Advocacy, Prevention, and Elimination of Older Adult Abuse (CAPE), a collaborative effort of over 40 agencies and businesses in Greater Bridgeport, including the Jewish Home for the Elderly, and the Board of the Bridgeport Arts & Cultural Council.
Ms. DeFelice received her B.A., cum laude, in 1997 from New York University, and holds a Master's in International and Comparative Politics from Fordham University. Ms. DeFelice received her J.D., cum laude, in 2006 from the Quinnipiac University School of Law, where she served as Associate Editor of the Quinnipiac Probate Law Journal. Previously, Ms. DeFelice worked as an analyst in the mutual funds area for American Skandia, a Prudential Financial Company. She is fluent in Italian.