Legal Counsel for the Elderly: Pro Bono Opportunities

Case #1a: Pro Bono Wills & Powers of Attorney

Please agree to handle an elderly, low-income senior’s pro bono will and powers of attorney for health care and finance. LCE will provide you sample forms and a comprehensive client interview sheet, as well as step-by-step instructions for supervising the execution of a will and advance directives for clients who are capable of visiting your offices. We have a backlog of 100 seniors on our waiting list for a pro bono attorney. Please agree to help a needy senior with these important documents.

Case #1b: Pro Bono Wills & Powers of Attorney for Homebound Seniors

Our home visit attorney is seeking DC licensed lawyers who may be interested in preparing pro bono wills and powers of attorney for homebound, frail seniors in the District of Columbia. Please let us know if you are interested in helping her.

Case #1c: Pro Bono Wills & Powers of Attorney for Spanish Speaking Clients

Please agree to handle a Spanish-speaking senior’s pro bono will and powers of attorney for health care and finance. LCE will provide you sample forms and a comprehensive client interview sheet, as well as step-by-step instructions for supervising the execution of a will and advance directives for clients who are capable of visiting your offices.

Case #36: Pro Bono Tax Matter for Employed Low-Wage Earner

This intelligent and hardworking, 63 year-old allegedly owes the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) $712.34 in taxes for fiscal year 2011. In addition, she appears to owe the DC Office of Taxation & Revenue (OTR) $182.82 for 2010 and 2011 for $709.63. The IRS and OTR withheld the client’s tax refund from her 2012 tax return and applied it to the debt. This hardworking, low-income senior earns $9.00 per hour from her job, plus commission. Her salary fluctuates weekly. The client earned only $12,204.59 in 2012, and she does not receive Social Security benefits yet. The IRS issued her a Notice of Intent to Levy, which instructed the client to call the IRS by 04/25/13 to avoid a levy to help satisfy her IRS debt. This client seeks a pro bono attorney to negotiate on her behalf with the IRS and OTR to enter into an Offer in Compromise or an affordable installment agreement.

Case #37: Pro Bono Bankruptcy Case to Discharge Working Senior’s Student Loan

This client requests a pro bono attorney to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition on her behalf to discharge her student loans, which originated in the 1970’s. The client is unable to repay these loans because she endures financial hardship. In addition to the bankruptcy petition, the pro bono attorney will need to file an adversary petition to obtain a ruling on the hardship standard for discharging student loans. To meet this standard, the debtor must satisfy the three-part test in Brunner v. New York State Higher Education Services Corp., 831 F.2d 395, 396 (2nd Cir. 1987). Although she has been billed for over $180,000, most of this student loan debt constitutes accrued interest and penalties. This client works six to eight hours per week at a university, and she receives $850 in Social Security benefits. Despite that the client’s income is below the legal standard for garnishment, the Social Security Administration has been garnishing $100.00 per month from her benefits check to help repay the loans.

Case #38: Enable Aggrieved Senior to Collect On Settlement to Recover for Faulty Home Improvement Work by Unlicensed Contractor

In 2010, this senior filed a lawsuit against an unlicensed home improvement contractor who performed substandard work on the client’s home. Moreover, the contractor accepted payments before the work was complete in violation of DC law governing unlicensed contractors. The court granted the client’s summary judgment motion against the contractor as to liability. The parties then executed a settlement agreement in which the contractor promised to pay the client $37,112.86. Unfortunately, after the client had ratified the settlement, he learned that the owner had dissolved his D.C. business six months earlier. The client reports that she was shocked by this news and never received notice of the company’s pending dissolution. After an LCE staff attorney inquired about this lack of notice, the opposing counsel failed to furnish any proof that the owner had notified the client of the imminent closure. Currently, the client seeks a pro bono attorney to commence collection proceedings against the owners. LCE has learned that the owners have opened a new business in Maryland. This case presents a great litigation opportunity for a junior associate at a law firm.

To request a pro bono case from the list above, please email vlp@aarp.org. If you would like to be removed from this list, add another lawyer or update your email address, please email us at vlp@aarp.org. For your protection, your representation on an LCE pro bono case would be covered under Legal Counsel for the Elderly's legal malpractice insurance. For this reason, we closely monitor all referred matters until their closure. Periodically, our volunteers will contact you by email to obtain a status report on your pro bono case.