Wake Forest Law’s Elder Law Clinic, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, was featured in the Winston-Salem Journal’s popular “Ask Sam” advice column here on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016. The portion of the column regarding the Elder Law Clinic follows.
SAM often gets questions about legal matters for older people, and one of the most valuable resources for such information is Wake Forest University’s Elder Law Clinic. The clinic is gearing up for a new group of law students to begin seeing clients in September.
The clinic, which is part of the university’s School of Law, helps law students get practical experience under the supervision of an attorney by providing free legal services to the community. The clinic accepts applications year-round, though services are only provided during the school year when law students are on hand.
Potential clients for the clinic must be at least 60 and have an income of less than $1,800 a month for a household of one, or $2,400 for a household of two.
According to the clinic, cases they typically handle include wills (if a person owns real estate), powers of attorney, Medicaid planning, guardianship, nursing home questions, abuse, fraud and consumer problems.
They do not handle criminal cases, traffic violation and accidents, medical malpractice, probate (estates), slips and falls, and divorce cases.
Potential clients can fill out a one-page application online at elder-clinic.law.wfu.edu/services/ or call (336) 758-5061 to have an application mailed to them. After the application is reviewed, you will be notified if your name has been added to the waiting list. Bear in mind that getting accepted to the waiting list is not a guarantee they will be able to meet with you.
The clinic also has legal resources available on its website, including basic information on elder law resources, long term care insurance, state laws, LGBT health care rights, and nursing home and adult care issues, elder-clinic.law.wfu.edu/resources/