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Organization Description

Elder Law & Advocacy provides civil legal services in subject areas concerning seniors, Medicare and Medicare related counseling and advocacy, referrals to community senior service providers and many other services. The majority of services are free to qualifying seniors.
Our services are uniquely tailored to the needs of seniors. Instead of requiring clients to come to one or two locations, our staff attorneys and trained Medicare counselors travel to close to 40 convenient, accessible locations throughout the community on a regular schedule to meet face to face with those in need of services.

HISTORY AND FUNDING
Elder Law & Advocacy was incorporated in California in 1978 as an IRS 501(c)(3) tax exempt charitable social services agency, and has been continuously providing services for over 30 years.

Elder Law & Advocacy is the only legal services and Medicare counseling agency in the Southern California region which devotes all of its resources to helping both rural and urban seniors through a community-based delivery system. Elder Law & Advocacy's attorneys, staff and volunteers travel all over the region to assist seniors, going to senior centers, nutrition sites, senior living complexes, mobile home parks, nursing homes, hospitals, and the residences of ill, homebound individuals.

Pro Bono Project Description:

Our Pro Bono program provides opportunities for both students and practicing lawyers.to learn about the growing practice of elder law. In addition, there are opportunities to work in litigation, estate and will planning, financial elder abuse, and Medicare issues.

STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS
Elder Law & Advocacy employs 8 attorneys, and 12 additional employees who provide clerical and administrative support. Each year, approximately 20-25 law students and several pro bono attorneys and law firms assist with cases for elders. Elder Law & Advocacy's Medicare counseling program also utilizes 30-40 community volunteers, many of whom have been volunteers at Elder Law & Advocacy for several years.

Senior Legal Services

Our pro bono program provides opportunities for both students and practicing lawyers to learn about the growing practice of elder law. In addition, there are opportunities to work in litigation, estate and will planning, financial elder abuse, and Medicare issues.

Law Students

Our pro bono program provides opportunities for law students to learn more about elder law and to hone their research and writing skills as well as have direct contact with clients. They may work in areas such as wills and trusts, financial elder abuse, or resolving Medicare issues.

Attorneys

Elder Law & Advocacy's pro bono program provides practicing attorneys an opportunity to learn about a grown area of law while giving them an outlet to give back to the community. Areas where they can help include but are not limited to litigation, research and writing of legal documents.

PROGRAMS
Elder Law & Advocacy provides direct services to clients through its programs:

• Senior Legal Services -legal services for persons ages 60 and over;
• Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) -information, counseling, and advocacy for matters involving health insurance, long term care insurance, Medicare, Medicare Part D and HMOs;
• Caregiver Legal Support -legal advice and representation for relative caregivers of individuals ages 60 and over;
• Nursing Home Rights Enforcement Project (NHREP) -health monitoring and legal assistance for skilled nursing home residents;
• Litigation Department -assists a limited number of its legal services clients with elder abuse matters.
• Senior Shield -community education to help seniors avoid scams such as reverse mortgage/annuity, trust mills, lottery scams, home repair scams, caregiver fraud, etc.; legal intervention as resources permit.
• Bi-Lingual Partnership Clinic Imperial County-provides courthouse based assistance for family members seeking conservatorship over an elder.

There is no charge to clients for these program services, however, donations are encouraged and are necessary to support and enhance the programs on an on-going basis.