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Closing the Justice Gap for Older Adults Part Two: Representing Clients with a Range of Decisional Capabilities

The second webinar in the Closing the Justice Gap for Older Adults training series will explore how legal aid advocates may represent older individuals experiencing legal issues that threaten their autonomy, even when their decisional abilities may be questioned by some. This training will explore the ethical considerations involved in outreach and referrals, & the elements of such attorney client relationships, including duty of loyalty to the client, determining client goals for representation & the elements of legal capacity.

Individuals with cognitive impairments, such as dementia, are frequently met with barriers to request services for themselves. Ensuring that they are not turned away at the intake stage is an important step to make sure that older adults have access to representation in legal matters & court proceedings, particularly in matters that have a significant impact on their lives.

Presenters will share:
• An overview of how questions of decisional capabilities arise in legal aid cases;
• How unconscious bias impacts determinations of eligibility for services;
• Promising practices for establishing an attorney-client relationship with older adults whose decisional abilities may be questioned by some; &
• Tips for improving office intake procedures to ensure that older adults are not turned away from representation without an opportunity to have their legal problem explored.

Presenters:
• Introduction: Legal Services Corporation, Hilary Dalin and Tovah Kasdin, Administration for Community Living
• Jim Berchtold, Justice in Aging
• Emily Miller, Michigan Advocacy Program (CVLAP)

Closed captioning will be available on this webinar.

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Apr 18, 2023 02:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)