Legal & Financial

Finding and Using an Elder Law Attorney

Listen to Ms. Campisi's discussion

If you or a family member are elderly and need legal help, your best bet is to contact an Elder Law attorney, says Birmingham Elder Law attorney Lynn Campisi.

"There are significant national and local organizations that provide a list of these," Campisi says. "In particular, there's a designation called the 'Certified Elder Law Attorney.' This is someone who's been certified by the acknowledgement and recognition of their peers, and by formal testing. This certification is generally through the National Elder Law Foundation.

"You can locate one of these lawyers through the website of NAELA...that's the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys...at www.naela.com. There's a listing of Elder Law attorneys where you live. You can enter a zip code, and find an Elder Law attorney within a certain range of miles.

"My recommendation is that you talk to someone who specializes in the particular area you need help with, whether it's Medicare, disability insurance, or whatever. NAELA shows you a list of their specialties, and I suggest you call the attorney's receptionist and ask what that lawyer can do for you.

"Have a list of questions. Ask what their initial rate is. Do they do home visits? Do they do phone consultations? Ask what things you need to achieve in that first meeting to make it as beneficial for you as possible. Ask everything you can possibly think of.

"NAELA gives you a good selection of attorneys nationally, and lets you search for individuals in certain locations. On a statewide basis, there's the Alabama Bar Association's Elder Law section, where you can key in and ask for members. The Bar's website is www.alabar.org."

A downloadable audio file of Ms. Campisi's article is also available.