معرفی
Richard L. Kaplan serves as the Guy Raymond Jones Chair in Law at the University of Illinois College of Law, with a joint appointment in the Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. An internationally recognized expert on U.S. taxation and tax policy, he has lectured on three continents and testified before Congress. His interdisciplinary work bridges legal scholarship with healthcare policy, particularly in elder law and retirement systems.
Professor Kaplan's research interests focus on the intersection of law, aging, and financial security. He developed one of the first law school courses on elder law and has authored the authoritative Elder Law in a Nutshell (7th ed., 2019). His scholarship examines retirement policy, Medicare, Social Security, and the legal implications of extended life spans, with particular attention to how tax policy shapes retirement security.
His recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on evolving retirement legislation, particularly the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, analyzing how pension plans increasingly accommodate social initiatives beyond their primary purpose of providing retirement income. Kaplan's work connects tax policy, healthcare financing, and demographic shifts, revealing systemic challenges in retirement security for aging populations.
- Outstanding Professor in the College of Law (multiple times)
- Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching
- Fellow of the Employee Benefits Research Institute
- Member of the National Academy of Social Insurance
- 2025 AALS Aging and Law Section's Lifetime Achievement Award
As faculty advisor for the Elder Law Journal since its inception in 1992, Kaplan has mentored generations of scholars in aging and the law. His amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit case State of Utah et al. v. Julie Su et al. demonstrates his ongoing engagement with critical retirement policy issues. His research has been supported through his endowed chair and various professional associations focused on tax policy and elder law.
Professor Kaplan leads interdisciplinary initiatives connecting legal scholarship with medical and policy research, particularly through his work on Medicare modernization and the implications of extended healthspans. His upcoming presentations at Harvard Law School and the University of Cambridge reflect his international standing in tax and elder law scholarship.
