National Elder Law Month – Empowering Clients and Colleagues with Information

The practical, financial and legal challenges faced by seniors, individuals with disabilities and their families can be unfamiliar and intimidating. The choices that need to be made, the planning that needs to begin and the structures that need to be put in place to provide for security and well-being, for healthcare and other needs that arise as we age, can make even the most sophisticated among us may feel overwhelmed when looking at the road ahead.

That is why one of the top priorities for the attorneys in Chuhak & Tecson’s Elder Law practice is empowering their clients and colleagues alike with information and tools that bring clarity to complexity and provide confidence instead of confusion.

When we mark National Elder Law Month each May, our lawyers redouble their commitment to community education. This includes presentations, workshops, seminars and other events, often continuing into June, at which they discuss the wide range of issues that fall under the broad umbrella of Elder Law, such as long-term care planning, Medicaid and V.A. benefits crisis and pre-planning, special needs and incapacity planning, Medigap coverage, guardianships and elder abuse concerns. Similarly, the attorneys in our Estate & Trust Administration & Litigation group, whose work regularly intersects with the concerns and matters facing our elder law clients, are also contributing their time and insights to inform and enlighten others on related topics.

Principal and Elder Law practice leader, Mallory Moreno, says that far from being an adjunct to their representation of clients, educating others about these matters is a core responsibility.

“Few things are scarier than the unknown. Every one of us in the practice group feels that it isn’t enough for us as attorneys to understand what we’re doing — we need our clients to understand it as well,” she says. “We also want to give attorneys who practice in other areas a baseline of knowledge about elder law issues so they can steer their clients in the right direction.”

Moreno adds that education is a two-way street, and that she and the other attorneys in the firm’s Elder Law group remain students as well as teachers regarding new developments in their field.

“The laws, policies and economic conditions that impact seniors and those with disabilities are always in flux,” she says. “We stay ahead of these changes and are constantly educating ourselves about them so we can pass that information on to our clients and position them for a secure future.”

Chuhak & Tecson’s experienced team of elder law attorneys includes two of only 10 Illinois Certified Elder Law Attorneys (CELA), Christine Barone and Mallory Moreno, as well as practitioners Bryan Montana and Olive Wassen.  

You can learn more about Chuhak & Tecson’s Elder Law practice here.