Overview

The Senior Centers Power of Attorney & Living Will Initiative (SCI) brings CDEL staff and volunteer attorneys to senior citizens’ residences across Chicago to prepare Powers of Attorney for Health Care and Property, as well as Illinois Living Will Declarations.  The reaction to the FREE SCI workshops has been overwhelmingly positive, from clients, senior centers and attorneys.

One of the primary objectives of CDEL is to address the legal needs of Chicagoland’s low-income senior citizens. Too often, these most deserving individuals are marginalized by age and poverty, exploited by unscrupulous characters and victimized through financial exploitation and elder financial abuse. In addition, seniors are often unaware of the fact that help is available.

The SCI Workshops help to address these issues and more. Through the educational outreach portion of the SCI, CDEL staff attorneys seek to increase the awareness among the senior citizen community of CDEL and the many services CDEL provides. In the course of the presentations, CDEL attorneys seek to educate seniors about the dangers of signing Powers of Attorney without legal oversight. Of course, if the seniors are interested in the documents, CDEL volunteer attorneys will assist in explaining and drafting the documents.

In brief, the administration of the SCI workshops consists of CDEL staff attorneys traveling to low-income senior citizens’ residence facilities to conduct educational outreaches, teaching the residents of the facilities about CDEL and its services, in particular Powers of Attorney. CDEL then coordinates with residence administrators and volunteer attorneys to schedule a return to the site to conduct the workshop. Often, CDEL partners with a law firm or corporation counsel in order to recruit volunteer attorneys and paralegals.

Prior to returning to the Senior Center, CDEL hosts periodic FREE accredited MCLE presentation to provide volunteer attorneys training on Powers of Attorney and Living Wills. At the workshop, residents meet one on one with CDEL volunteer attorneys, where the attorneys consult with residents, explain the documents in detail to the residents and draft the documents. The documents are then witnessed, notarized, copied and presented to the senior, with CDEL and its law firm and corporate partners providing the notaries and paralegals to serve as witnesses.

Partnerships

Since, 2007, CDEL has partnered with a number of law firms, as well as corporate counsel, to supply attorneys for the SCI Workshops. As described below, CDEL organizes the events, conducts free CLE training for the attorneys, coordinates logistics and provides supervision at the Workshops. The SCI Workshop provides a tremendous opportunity for law firms to partner with their corporate clients, other firms and related organizations to provide these services in an efficient and enjoyable manner. The SCI Workshops are also a great way to have non-attorneys (paralegals and notaries) participate in providing pro bono services, as non-attorneys serve as intake coordinators, witnesses, notaries and support personnel at the Workshops.

The SCI Workshop concept has proven to be very successful and there is a demonstrated need for expansion of the program.

1) It goes without saying that the Workshop is a positive experience for the seniors as they receive these very important legal services and legal documents at no expense and in an efficient manner.

2) It is a positive experience for the senior residences, as they are able to schedule an activity that provides a much needed service.

3) It is a positive experience for the law firms and attorneys, as the SCI Workshop provides the opportunity for pro bono work in a discrete workshop, as well as the opportunity to receive MCLE credit.

4) It is a positive experience for CDEL, as it provides CDEL with the opportunity to provide service to a large number of seniors and is an incredibly efficient use of CDEL resources.

In 2009 and thereafter, CDEL seeks to hold more frequent SCI Workshops thorough Chicago and Cook County. To accomplish this end, CDEL has aggressively commenced a program to solicit partnerships with Chicagoland Senior Centers. Since the Summer of 2008, CDEL Chief Legal Officer Thomas Wendt conducted SCI presentations to over 80 Senior Residents. CDEL has administrated approximately 60 SCI Workshops in Chicago and Suburban Cook County, assisting over 620 individuals.

In sum, given that every low-income senior citizen in Chicagoland should have Powers of Attorney, the target market for CDEL’s SCI Workshops is practically limitless. Only one year after its formation, the SCI Workshops have proven so successful already that other organizations are seeking the assistance of CDEL in order to expand the program.

If you would like more information about participating in the SCI, including CLE opportunities, please feel free to contact CDEL by clicking here.

If you represent a Senior Residence Facility and looking for CDEL to speak to your residents, please feel free to contact CDEL by clicking here.