Maryland Bar
Bulletin
Publications :
Bar Bulletin
Editor: W. Patrick Tandy
April, 2004
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BCBA Holds Law Day
for the Elderly |
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By Tom Breihan
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At 7:30 a.m. on
Saturday April 24, the Baltimore City Bar Association (BCBA) will hold its
Law Day for the Elderly program, an annual education seminar for seniors,
at the Wabash Division of the District Court for Baltimore City.
The event is an important part of BCBA’s Law Day celebration, having taken
place “for eight to ten years,” according to event organizer Tracey Harvin.
“It’s where we have
a day full of vendors who provide services to the elderly members of the
community,” says Harvin, who began organizing the event last year. “We
also have question-and-answer sessions, seminars on topics that are of
interest to seniors: public benefits, power of attorney, wills, estate
planning and things of that nature. We also have a panel of volunteer
attorneys. These attorneys are the ones who actually come out and provide
their insight and their advice and their knowledge to seniors, caregivers
and family members.”
The event is open
to the public, and a continental breakfast and boxed lunches will be
provided to everyone who attends. Last year, the event drew about 380
people. “This year, we hope to exceed that number and to have even more
vendors and to discuss a lot of issues that are pending now, primarily
nationwide, such as the changes to the Medicare prescription benefits
program,” adds Harvin. “We’ve received a lot of calls on that, so we have
attorneys who are going to address that in addition to other issues, such
as identity theft and the growing problem of seniors raising
grandchildren.”
The program is
presented by BCBA and funded by the Commission on Aging and Retirement
Education, but it also depends heavily on volunteer support. “It’s pretty
much a collective program where we affiliate and work with the AARP and
members of the Baltimore City Bar who really step up and provide services
to Baltimore City seniors,” says Harvin, who is still searching for more
volunteer attorneys to take part in the program. “Despite all of the help
we have received from members of the Bar and the AARP and other very
valuable organizations, the need is still there.”
The program is
targeted specifically at Baltimore
residents who are at least 60 years old and who are of limited means.
“Baltimore City understandably has quite a population who meets those
criteria,” comments Harvin.
With seniors facing
so many new problems, their need for a working knowledge of the legal
system constantly increases. “I personally believe that at least part of
the growing need to provide services to seniors comes from the fact that
you don’t have a family structure that may have existed in previous
times,” says Harvin. “So we need as many volunteers as we can get. We’d
like to network with other pro bono programs so we know where to direct
seniors.”
“A lot of times
seniors contact us, and they may not have a legal problem but a social
work problem,” Harvin adds. “So we’d like to have a network where we can
actively direct seniors so that when they call us they don’t leave
empty-handed. Any assistance we can obtain from any source we would be
happy to have. So they need us there, and it’s very rewarding.”
