View Video of Attorney Goodall Accepting the Award (his portion starts at approximately the 24:00 mark)

Attorney Amos Goodall, CELA, LLM, of the elder law firm of Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak, was recently presented with a 2021 Achieva Award of Excellence. These annual awards are presented each December by Achieva to "citizens and organizations that have done or achieved extraordinary things when helping people with disabilities lead lives of personal significance." Achieva is a non-profit organization located in the greater Pittsburgh area that provides lifelong support to people with disabilities and their families.

Attorney Goodall received the Excellence in Legal Services award during a virtual awards presentation held in December. This honor is presented to an attorney, law firm or legal department who have used their professional skills to enhance the lives of people with disabilities. Amos, who has been practicing law in Centre County since 1976, has worked with numerous individuals with special needs and their families over the course of his career on special needs planning and everything that it encompasses. He is a member of the Special Needs Alliance, an organization of leading elder law and disability law attorneys located throughout the country. 

A graduate of Franklin and Marshall and Fordham Law School, Amos began the practice of law in Centre County following a clerkship with the Chief Judge of the Middle District of Pennsylvania in 1976. In 1987, he began his own firm, which became Goodall & Yurchak. This firm was acquired by Steinbacher Law in Williamsport and became part of Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak. Amos continues to practice in the State College office.

Amos is also a Fellow both of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). He has been recognized as a pre-eminent attorney by Martindale-Hubbell since 1992 and has been named as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in the area of Elder Law by Philadelphia Magazine every year since that category was created. A Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation (NELF), he also recently served as president of the NELF. Amos has been recognized for a number of years in the list of Best Lawyers in America in the practice area of elder law. He has been named a Super Lawyer® by Thomson Reuters for the last 17 consecutive years, and for the last three consecutive years, was on Pennsylvania Business Central's Top 100 People list. In 2020, Amos was also honored by the Legal Intelligencer as a Professional Excellence Award Winner.

Amos has been an active member of several community organizations in Centre County over his career, including the Centre Foundation, Foxdale Village, the Centre County Youth Service Bureau and several more, and has also served as a solicitor to a number of other organizations. He lives in State College with Casey, his wife. Their daughter and family live in Lake Como, N.J., and their son, Christian, is deceased.

For more information on special needs planning services offered by Steinbacher, Goodal & Yurchak, visit PAElderCounsel.com.