College of Law Distinguished Professor Nina Kohn is playing a key role in crafting legislation addressing issues affecting older adults and individuals with cognitive disabilities. With her expertise in elder law, Kohn, who holds the David M. Levy L’48 Professorship and has recently been named a Distinguished Professor, collaborates with the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) to develop model state legislation.
Kohn has twice been appointed as a reporter for the ULC. Her first project was the Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship and Other Protective Arrangements Act (UGCOPPA), described by the ULC as a “comprehensive guardianship statute for the 21st century.” This act promotes person-centered guardianship reform and less restrictive alternatives to guardianship. Her second project was the Uniform Health-Care Decision Act (UHCDA), which addresses advance directives and healthcare decision-making for patients without surrogates.
Since joining the College of Law faculty in 2005, Kohn has been an active educator and researcher on topics related to elder law, including age discrimination, family caregiving, elder abuse, and supported decision making. She authored a leading casebook on elder law and has taught courses on related subjects. Kohn has also held public service roles with organizations such as the American Bar Association.
Being selected twice as a ULC reporter is a significant career highlight for Kohn. “Being a reporter is part mediator and part editor,” she explains. The role involves integrating diverse viewpoints into effective model laws that states can adapt according to their needs.
The ULC’s model laws provide states with a starting point that they can adjust based on specific requirements or priorities. Kohn notes that recent enactments of these acts have been successful across various states: Delaware and Utah have adopted the UHCDA; Maine, Washington, and Kansas have enacted the UGCOPPA.
Kohn believes her experience as a reporter enhances her teaching by providing students with insights into legal debates and statutory drafting challenges. She emphasizes finding common ground despite differing initial viewpoints.
Despite the long-term nature of this work, Kohn remains committed to seeing these model laws adopted widely. “It’s hard to say ‘no’ when legislators are saying, ‘We’re interested in making our laws better,’” she says. She finds fulfillment in contributing to improved laws that benefit families, patients, and healthcare providers while fostering bipartisan cooperation.
