Word: elders
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Lawyers, as a profession, are not renowned for their kindness. But a growing cadre of elder-law practitioners is destroying some of the stereotypes. "I like dealing with human beings, with individuals," explains Myra Gilfix, an elder-law practitioner in Palo Alto, Calif. "I always wanted to do people law. I am not a fighter." Elder-law attorneys deal with the specialized legal matters faced by seniors: estate planning, Medicare and Medicaid issues, planning for disability, estate-tax and gift issues, and long-term care. With the graying of the population--since 1900, the percentage of Americans 65 and older...
...poor and I was very sick," she recalls. "There was a possibility that I might not survive the illness I had, and I wanted to have a will and a living will." Michaels, 71, had read in the paper that the City University of New York (CUNY) had an elder-law clinic. "They came here to my home to help me," she says, still amazed. "The professor was very concerned about me, that I couldn't get to my phone, that I was bedridden. He came back with a long extension wire and put it on the phone." They also...
...Many elder clients are going through a tough time of life. Their children may live out of town; their spouses may be deceased. They may be struggling with illness or incapacity. Says Kate Mewhinney, a clinical professor at the Wake Forest University School of Law: "We had a woman here this week who said, 'I wake up in the middle of the night worrying about if I have to go into a nursing home.' She's 79, very healthy. She said, 'I really worry. Will I lose everything? Will I lose my home? Where do I stand in terms...
Indeed, planning ahead is one of the things elder-law attorneys do best. "People should review whatever estate planning they've already done," suggests Joseph Rosenberg, a law professor at CUNY and supervising attorney of its elder-law clinic. "If they have wills, they should review them; if they don't have wills, they should probably consult an attorney. People can sign advanced health-care directives, such as health-care proxies or living wills, which let you appoint an agent to make decisions for you if you're unable...
There are about 10,000 elder-law practitioners nationwide. Many belong to the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys in Tucson, Ariz. While it is possible to get certified as a specialist by the National Elder Law Foundation, affiliated with the American Bar Association, only 200 lawyers have undergone that process so far. Caveat emptor, warns Charles Sabatino, president-elect of NAELA. "Anybody can call himself an elder-law attorney, and it doesn't necessarily mean anything...