Elder Law Opportunities Poised To Explode

by Philip Batchelder
3L Student

A recent survey of "What's Hot and What's Not in the Legal Profession" notes that elder law is indeed hot, "as it has been for several years." There's no question that careers are waiting to be made in the dynamic practice areas of elder law. In fact, at a national gathering of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) last fall, one GGU student was told that if every current law student in the country went into practice in elder law, there would still be plenty of work. A primary reason for this is the fact that 70 million baby boomers are approaching retirement age in need of a broad array of planning services. Also, with advanced medical technologies, these people are living longer. The stark reality - that neither the legal nor the medical professions have kept pace with the needs of our aging population - means that attorneys in the various practice areas of elder law are part of a rapidly changing policy frontier.

So, what exactly is "elder law?" This relatively new category of legal work includes some traditional areas like estate planning, bioethics, and tort, but also involves highly specialized work within these areas, such as conservatorships, end-of-life medical decision making, and financial elder abuse. While some attorneys provide a one-stop array of services for their elderly clients, others focus on very particular services, such as special needs trusts or Medicaid qualification. Still others work for district attorneys prosecuting elder abuse or for social service agencies. The need for such services is going to explode in coming decades, and this translates directly into rewarding career opportunities for attorneys.

Learn more about careers in elder law by coming to a panel discussion with four distinguished attorneys at 5 pm on Wednesday, April 15 in room 2202, 536 Mission St., SF. Carolyn Rosenblatt, a nurse and lawyer, is author of The Boomer's Guide to Aging Parents; Richard Hechler (GGU JD 81) spent seven years at the San Francisco DA's office prosecuting elder abuse; Priscilla Camp (GGU JD 77) is a longtime leader in elder advocacy, has authored several books, and has received numerous distinctions for her work; and Prescott Cole from CA Advocates for Nursing Home Reform. GGU Professor Kim Stanley will moderate.