A Perk of Age: Free Legal Advice
By Kelly Greene
Free Legal advice is only a phone call away - and the hot lines
that provide it are expanding their services.
It's a little known perk available to anyone 60 or older: 21
states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico operate legal-assistance
hot lines for older adults and most take calls from younger
caregivers as well. Volunteers offer advice on legal questions,
provide self-help materials, and make referrals to legal aid
offices and pro bono or reduced-fee private lawyers. Even if you
live in a state without a hot line, local agencies on aging will
provide you with referrals to nearby lawyers. The hot lines and
referral services tackle estate planning, pension, and health
benefits, elder abuse and neglect, guardianship custodial issues
involving grandchildren, consumer protection and other elder-law
issues.
The U.S. administration on Aging coordinates this loosely knit
legal-services network. Anyone who meets the age requirement can
call the hot line, but hands-on legal counsel goes first to people
with the greatest financial or social needs. The federal Agency
recently awarded $2 million in grants to improve elder-law
services, with the largest part being used to bolster 12 hotlines
around the country, some of which are adding Web-based
questionnaires and outreach projects in rural areas and for older
people who don't speak English.
For a list of where the hotlines operate, along with their phone
numbers and hours, go to www.aoa.gov/legal/hotline.html, or call
the federal Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116. If you live in a
state without a hot line, the locator can point you to local legal
assistance.
Another source of low-cost help also expanded this year: AARP's
Legal Services Network is now available in 46 states and expects to
reach all 50 by the end of March. You have to pay the group's dues
($10 a year) to use the services; after that you get 30 minutes of
legal counseling, either face-to-face or by phone, at no cost.
Lawyers discount their usual rate by 20% after that. Simple wills
cost $75 apiece. You can reach the service at 800-424-3410 or go to
www.aarp.org/LSN to find a lawyer nearby.
