Legal & Financial

'Why I Chose the Field of Elder Law'

Listen to Ms. Campisi's discussion

Attorney Lynn Campisi tells why she chose to go into the field of Elder Law:

"I chose the field of Elder Law because I love elderly folks. I've always been the child who sat at the dining room table listening to all the stories. I've heard the World War II stories. Maybe some World War I stories. Lots of histories that are not written in books.

"I was always more of the 'plodder,' not the quick, quick thinker. And my demeanor is not very quick. I work consistently, and like the Tortoise and the Hare, 'We're all gonna get there at the same time.' I'm the little Tortoise. I'll get there, but it's going to be on my terms and my speed.

"But my desire to be in the Elder Law area was because I truly love elderly folks. I was always inclined to communicate better with the older folks than the younger folks who just didn't have the depth and the wisdom.

"When I first was a young lawyer in Birmingham, I did some to inquires to the different agencies to see what was going on in the Elder Law area. I talked to the Birmingham Bar, and there was no committee. The Alabama State Bar had no section in Elder Law.

"So I addressed the Bar Association here in Birmingham, I addressed the Alabama State Bar, created committees at the local level, and established the Elder Law section of the Alabama State Bar. And that section today, I'm proud to say, has probably 120 lawyers.

"We were first authorized to act as a section, based on my commitment to the bar, I think it was like in 1996 or 1997. And it was a tremendous service that helps Elder Law attorneys come in together, compare their notes, and we have tremendous educational sections for the Elder Law attorneys.

"With that, my goal was that if we could educate the lawyers in areas that were important to senior citizens, then we were providing a better service as lawyers. Because our seniors are facing so many different things: Health care. Medicare. Medicare A, B, Part C, Part D.

"It's very complicated, very confusing, just for the average individual. But when faced with all these choices about Medicare, about Power of Attorney, about who handles your affairs, where to go for medical care, where to go for help if I can no longer care for myself in my home...some of these things span way beyond the legal knowledge of a lawyer who's been trained.

"But in the Elder Law area, individuals are generally much more knowledgeable about health care issues, Medicare, Medicaid, pharmacy items...all the challenges that an elderly person meets on a regular basis."

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