« Ind. Decisions - Upcoming oral arguments this week and next | Main | Ind. Courts - Several attorneys expected to apply for Madison County judgeship »
Monday, March 16, 2009
Ind. Law - "Lawyers step up to the bar for seniors"
Rebecca S. Green of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has a long story today on the Volunteer Lawyer Program of Northeast Indiana:
Michelle Wagner serves as the director of the Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Adults, the idea of local attorney Steve Griebel and others on the Volunteer Lawyer Program's board of directors.* * *When the program began, those involved expected a few clients.
But they underestimated how many people in northeast Indiana are in June's position.
Within the first seven months of the program, from June 1 to Dec. 31, the agency took more than 100 referrals. The agency had anticipated maybe 25, said Judy Whitelock, executive director of the Volunteer Lawyer Program.
For more than 20 years, Allen Superior Court Magistrate Phillip Houk has handled almost all of the guardianship cases in Allen County.
"It shouldn't surprise us that people are taking advantage of the program," he said. "We knew there was a need out there, but we just didn't know how big a need."
Houk knows all about the aging population, fractured families and a more mobile society.
"You have fewer natural people to step into these situations for folks who need guardians," he said.
The Volunteer Lawyer's advocacy program involves local attorneys working for free and well-trained volunteers matched with the clients.
"I don't think there's any doubt that I sleep better at night knowing that we're appointing qualified individuals to take care of elderly individuals who heretofore had nobody," Houk said.
He has seen similar programs pop up over the years, but almost all were funded by grant dollars for a limited period.
One of the differences with the Volunteer Advocates program is the source of its funding, which is Indiana's Interest on Lawyers Trust Account program.
Lawyers sometimes hold money for clients for distribution at a later date. In 1997, the Indiana Supreme Court allowed those accounts to begin bearing interest, with the interest sent to the Indiana Bar Foundation to fund pro bono legal services.
That provides a constant stream of money, Houk said.
"There's no grant that's going to run out after a few years," he said. "I have a good feeling about them to be able to sustain this program."
Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 16, 2009 12:05 PM
Posted to Indiana Law