Hinkle, Fingles & Prior, Attorneys at Law

Attorneys at Hinkle, Fingles & Prior have more than seventy years of combined experience providing expert counsel and legal services to families of people with disabilities and seniors. The firm’s attorneys have argued many of the precedent setting cases affecting people with disabilities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Herbert D. Hinkle has represented people with disabilities and the elderly continuously since 1974. He served as Director of the New Jersey Division of Advocacy for the Developmentally Disabled for 10 years. Mr. Hinkle has served on the Board of Directors for a variety of non-profit organizations, including United Cerebral Palsy Associations, the Arc of New Jersey, Autism New Jersey, Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of New Jersey (PLAN-NJ), Easter Seals, the Alzheimer’s Association and NAMI NJ. He is currently serving as president of the Autism New Jersey Foundation. He has argued precedent-setting disability rights cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including five cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court. His work has been cited in the Wall Street Journal. He holds a JD from Rutgers University and a LL.M. in Taxation from Temple University. He is a member of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Bar, the Association of American Trial Lawyers, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He has been a consultant to Rutgers University’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the New Jersey Commission on Bioethics and is a widely published author and lecturer. Mr. Hinkle is also an adjunct professor of law at Rutgers Law School, Camden, where he teaches trusts and estates, and estate planning.

Ira M. Fingles has devoted his legal career to the representation of individuals with disabilities and their families. His motivation to enter this field stemmed from his experiences with his sister, who has multiple disabilities. He has provided legal representation to individuals with disabilities in a variety of areas, including educational rights for children with disabilities, benefits and services for adults with disabilities, guardianship, and estate planning. He has argued precedent-setting cases in federal and state court, and before administrative agencies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He has written extensively on topics related to disability law and has presented to disability groups across the nation. Ira is Immediate Past President of the Autism Society of America – Greater Philadelphia Chapter, and is a member of the Penn Autism Network Advisory Committee. He received his JD from Temple University School of Law and is a member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bars.

S. Paul Prior has spent his entire legal career representing people with disabilities. As the younger brother of a man with autism, he has a life-long commitment to disability law. His legal work has focused on special education, guardianship, financial entitlements, and access to appropriate services. A substantial part of his practice is devoted to assisting families in estate and trust matters. He has successfully argued leading cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as other state and federal courts. He served as a federal monitor overseeing conditions at state-operated institutions. He holds a JD from Seton Hall University School of Law, and serves on the board of directors of The Arc of New Jersey and Autism New Jersey. Previously, he served on the Board of Special Olympics New Jersey and the Eden Foundation. He is a member of the Elder Law Section of the New Jersey Bar Association. He writes and lectures frequently on topics concerning the law and disability as well as issues affecting siblings.

Evelina E.G. Padilla is dedicated to providing legal representation to persons with disabilities and their families. She has experience in special education, children’s issues, public entitlements and a broad range of administrative issues. For two years, she served as a law clerk for the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law.

She served as a clinical law student at the Rutgers Newark Special Education Clinic. As a Governor’s Executive Fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, she worked at the New Jersey Department of Education, Legislative Services, reviewing and monitoring legislation. She holds a JD from Rutgers University School of Law-Newark. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Family Support Center of New Jersey. She is a member of the New Jersey, New York and Florida bars. She is proficient in Spanish.

Eileen W. Siegeltuch specializes in special needs planning and elder law issues, including planning for Medicaid eligibility and other public benefits. Eileen also has great expertise and experience in all areas relating to estate and tax planning, business succession planning, estate administration, and estate and trust litigation.

Eileen graduated magna cum laude from Montclair State College. She received a Master’s degree in German Literature from the University of Pennsylvania. Eileen earned her law degree with honors from Villanova University School of Law and went on to secure a Masters of Laws degree in Taxation from that institution. Eileen is a frequent lecturer on disability- and tax and estate-related issues and has written extensively on these subjects. Eileen also volunteers her time with a number of disability-related groups throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She is a member of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania bars, and is a member of the Elder and Disability Law section of the New Jersey Bar Association.

Maria Fischer, Esq. is personally committed to the field of disability law. The mother of a daughter with multiple disabilities, Maria’s legal work focuses on guardianship, estate planning, and helping families of adults with disabilities access and retain appropriate services. She completed an internship at the New Jersey Department of Public Advocate, where she conducted legal research and drafted papers on civil rights, healthcare, education and administrative law. She also interned with the Family Law Clinic at Seton Hall University. Maria has been appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of The Arc of Mercer County. She earned her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. She is a member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bars.

Andrew D. Linenberg, Esq., has a demonstrated commitment for representing underserved and vulnerable populations. While in law school, he lead pro bono projects and worked as a Student Attorney in the Rutgers – Camden Civil Practice Clinic. Andrew brings his civil practice passion to helping people with disabilities, particularly with special education matters. His commitment comes from having a father with multiple disabilities and growing up in the Philadelphia public school system where he recognized first-hand the inadequacies of some programs for children with disabilities. Before joining the firm, Andrew completed a clerkship with the Hon. Linda R. Feinberg, Assignment Judge for Mercer County Superior Court; and drafted opinions for now Chief Judge of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Theodore McKee, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy R. Rice, E.D.Pa. Andrew graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. from Temple University and earned his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law – Camden. At Rutgers, he served as Assistant Managing Editor of the Rutgers Journal of Law & Religion, as well as an Academic Support Fellow. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He is fluent in Spanish.