Connecticut Appleseed

Related Link: Recent Accomplishments

ELDER LAW EDUCATION

Many legal and financial issues facing seniors today are complex and confusing. Low and moderate-income seniors and their families all too often do not have affordable access to reliable and objective information regarding legal options, choices available to them, and choices they need to at least consider making. Unfortunately, they are frequently barraged with slanted information and high-pressure sales pitches regarding estate planning tools, “will kits” and a myriad of investment and insurance products.

Unfortunately, seniors are also frequently barraged with slanted information and high-pressure sales pitches regarding estate planning tools, "will kits" and a myriad of investment and insurance products. Appleseed's assurance that all information would be presented in a non-commercial manner – deliverable through our relationship with the Connecticut Bar Association's Elder Law section – is therefore a compelling project feature.

Leveraging Volunteered Legal Help for Seniors

Our project was originally launched on June 25, 2005 by a “Senior Citizens Law Day” symposium at Quinnipiac University School of Law in Hamden, CT. Participating experts in Elder Law from across the state offered seminars related to Advance Directives, Wills and Trusts, Long-term Health Care and Prescription Drug Costs, Housing and Consumer Fraud. At the encouragement of Appleseed Board member and Quinnipiac Law Dean Brad Saxton, nine of those elder law attorneys volunteered to share their presentations in writing so that we could compile them into “Connecticut Elder Law Resources” and distribute it widely.

Together with Connecticut Appleseed's original collaborators, we held a second Senior Citizens Law Day in late 2008 at Quinnipiac University's School of Law. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal was the keynote speaker. Since many of the pro bono attorneys who taught seminars at Law Day II had previously authored chapters in "Connecticut Elder Law Resources", this event prompted the book's thorough review and updating.

As a result, Connecticut Elder Law Resources remains an extremely valuable and timely resource for the workshops being scheduled in 2010 at senior centers across the state.

A Multi-Year Partnership with Pro Bono Attorneys and Municipal Senior Centers

Connecticut Appleseed’s distribution of “Connecticut Elder Law Resources” at attorney-led senior center workshops has already helped more than 1,250 seniors become more knowledgeable about their legal rights and assisted with their future-oriented legal planning. Connecticut Appleseed handles the scheduling of individual senior center visits by coordinating with volunteers from the Connecticut Bar Association’s Elder Law section.

Since several senior centers requested workshops on more than one elder law topic, this project has sponsored 46 individual workshops to date. Over the past few years our elder law education work has been supported by small grants from the NewAlliance Foundation, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Fairfield County Foundation, the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven's Women and Girls fund, the Washington Mutual Foundation and the Connecticut Community Foundation.

E-NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP:
Sign-up to receive our free e-newsletter. Simply type in your email address below and click on the submit button. QUICK LINKS TO OUR PROJECTS:

	Hartford H.E.L.P.
	Keep Kids in School: Improving School Discipline
	Dental Care for Disadvantaged Children
	Completed Education Projects
	Education: Increasing Parent Access to Basic Education Law Information
	Mental Illness and The Criminal Justice System
	Elder Law Education
	Expanding Access to Financial Services
	Literacy Connects Inmates & Their Children

A PART OF THE APPLESEED NETWORK
www.appleseednetwork.org

Appleseed, a non-partisan and non-profit organization, is a network of public interest law Centers working to identify and address injustices in their communities. Appleseed works to build a just society through education, legal advocacy, community activism and policy expertise, addressing root causes and producing practical solutions. As one of the nation's largest legal pro bono networks, Appleseed Centers work both independently and collectively, bringing their own experiences to create local solutions that are nationally relevant. We connect the top private practice lawyers, corporate counsel, law schools, civic leaders, and other professionals to tackle problems locally, at their root cause.