About Legal Counsel for the Elderly

For 35 years, LCE has championed the dignity and rights of Washington, D.C.'s elderly by providing free legal and social work services to those in need — empowering, defending and protecting vulnerable seniors.

LCE's staff and volunteers assist more than 5,000 elders each year, with monetary benefits totaling over $5 million. More than 90 percent of older neighbors receiving help from LCE are persons of color, and three out of four are low-income women.

LCE volunteers, interns and fellows contribute thousands of hours of pro bono service annually, helping clients with many types of cases:

25 percent involve protective services — guardianships, conservatorships, grandparent caregiving and custody, and powers of attorney.

20 percent are housing advocacy cases — preserving affordable housing, and preventing evictions and homelessness.

15 percent provide direct consumer protection — defending older D.C. residents against identity theft, fraud, predatory lending, scams and other practices that target vulnerable elderly.

15 percent involve helping those age 60+ to create or update wills.

15 percent promote economic security of poor D.C. seniors — providing help with public benefits such as Medicaid, Social Security, food stamps, utility bills, etc.

10 percent of LCE's cases consist of health care, long-term care and nursing home concerns.

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