A six-year-old Legal Advice and Referral Center (LARC) hotline, maintained by eight Southern Illinois offices of Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, is cited as a critical means of helping residents of rural areas that may be hundreds of miles away from a legal aid facility.
LARC handles more than 11,000 calls for assistance annually, and about half of the inquiries are resolved over the phone line by staff and volunteer lawyers.
Prairie State Legal Services offices in Northern and Central Illinois counties also operates a Telephone Counseling Service that is staffed part-time by 16 lawyers who take 20,000 calls a year.
The Will County Legal Assistance Program, a Prairie State affiliate, handles additional calls for legal assistance in the Joliet area.
The Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services in Cook County was the first successful hotline initiative. It now receives as many as 14,000 calls a month, but its staff and volunteers are able to respond to only 2,000.
CARPLS was able to serve 20,000 clients last year, at a remarkably low cost of only $38 per client, and a goal of 25,000 has been set for 2004.
The Equal Justice Illinois Campaign newsletter listed the following hotline numbers and times of operation.
CARPLS: (312) 738-9200; 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Wednesday nights until 7:30 p.m.
Prairie State: (800) 531-7057; 9:05 to 11:45 a.m. and 1:05 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Will County: (815) 727-5123; 9:05 to 11:45 a.m. and 1:05 to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Land of Lincoln: (877) 342-7891; 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Cook County Judge Richard J. Elrod and Addison D. Braendel of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw have been elected to the board of directors of the Center for Disability and Elder Law in Chicago.
The CDEL board has elected Laura L. Hois, senior counsel of the McDonald's Corp., as its secretary. She succeeds Eileen Letts, who has retired from the board.
The center has provided pro bono legal services to low-income elderly and disabled residents of Cook County for 20 years.
These lawyers helped resolve military issues
The following ISBA members have participated in the Volunteer Resource for Military Lawyers program by providing pro bono or reduced-fee services:
Junaid M. Afeef, Hoffman Estates
Laura Ruth Andrews, Granite City
Robert C. Becker Jr., Genoa
William J. Borah, Homewood
Susan O'Neal Brosam, Sullivan
Wes Cowell, Chicago
Francis J. Coyle Jr., Rock Island
Kristen J. Dunnett, Granite City
William L. Enyart, Belleville
Herbert A. Glieberman, Chicago
Roza Gossage, Belleville
Janet L. Grove, Mattoon
Robert Handley, Carol Stream
David K. Harris, Springfield
Patrick W. Hayes, Rockford
Jeremy H. Heiple, Peoria
Jonathan J. Heiple, Peoria
Clyde B. Hendricks, Peoria
Lisa A. Jensen, Rockford
Julie Keehner Katz, Belleville
Daniel LaKemper, Morton
Colleen Mannix-Devine, Chicago
James B. McCabe, Arlington Heights
Gary Edward Orr, East Peoria
Kimberly Klein Power, Belleville
Bryan V. Reed, Chicago
Edmond H. Rees, Carlinville
Dale A. Schempp, Springfield
Gary L. Schlesinger, Libertyville
Nancy Chausow Shafer, Highland Park
Edwina D. Warner, Benton
CDEL volunteers help abused elders maintain dignity
By Elaine Harrison
Maggie suddenly found herself in a nursing home at the age of 86, admitted after being abandoned at the emergency room of a nearby hospital. This was the third time the hospital had seen her.
On the first two occasions, someone eventually came to pick Maggie up. This time, no one bothered. She was transferred to the nursing home and officially classified as abandoned.
Now denied everything familiar to her, including the home and neighborhood she had known for more than 50 years, Maggie faced the reality of spending the rest of her life isolated and alone.
Why? In this case, it's all about money and it's all in the family. Maggie is the victim of financial elder abuse perpetrated by three generations of family members whose greed and larceny took precedence over decency and family loyalty.
Most of us have elderly relatives and friends who enjoy the benefits of retirement. Whether living independently, sharing a home with family or a caregiver, or protected in the comforts of a reputable senior living facility, they deserve the rewards that come with old age.
Tragically, retirement often becomes a very different reality for millions of elderly Americans who find themselves destitute and abandoned, victims of elder abuse.
The Center for Disability and Elder Law (CDEL), a Chicago-area pro bono law firm that serves low-income elderly and disabled persons, has seen a financial elder abuse caseload rise sharply over the past decade.
Last year, 80 percent of CDEL's 3,508 clients were elderly persons, and an unsettling number were victims of abuse.
"We have found that the majority of our financial elder abuse cases come to light only after another legal problem has surfaced," said Jann Dragovich-Stulberg, CDEL's executive director since 1986.
"It is commonplace to see an elderly client in foreclosure, because a family member or trusted friend has manipulated the senior's finances," she said. "The perpetrator has the elder unknowingly sign a quitclaim or warranty deed and then borrows against the property, with no intention of repaying the loan."
Statistics reveal a disturbing rise in CDEL's elder abuse caseload in Cook County that is indicative of the state and the national situation.
The Illinois Department on Aging (IDOA) reported a 163 percent increase in reported elderly abuse cases from 1990 to 1998, with financial exploitation accounting for half of the reported cases.
The U.S. Congress Select Committee on Aging estimates that between 500,000 and five million cases of elder abuse occur each year, but 84 percent of the incidents are never reported. It is also estimated that approximately 90 percent of elder abuse is perpetrated by family members.
So why aren't more elder abuse cases reported? The answer is two-fold: the elderly are among the most vulnerable members of our society, but mandatory reporting of abuse and legislation to protect the elderly varies widely from state to state.
In Illinois, elder abuse reporting by professionals first became mandatory in 1999, but it applies only in cases where the physical or mental incapacity of the victims would prevent them from reporting the abuse.
Therefore, when diminished capacity, shame and fear of reprisal by the perpetrator prevent an elderly person from reporting abuse, it goes unchecked.
Even more egregious is the absence of strong national and state legislation to protect the rights of the elderly. Existing elder abuse laws are insubstantial, flawed and decades old. Many were written 20 years ago, are based on laws that addressed child abuse, and are particularly weak on financial exploitation.
The last major legislation in Illinois was passed in 1988. Although the Elder Abuse and Neglect Act was intended to protect victims by augmenting existing legal, medical and social services, 11 more years passed before reporting by geriatric professionals became mandatory.
No federal law has been enacted that adequately and comprehensively addresses the issues of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of the elderly, but Congressman Rahm Emanuel of Illinois is the lead sponsor of a bi-partisan bill, the Elder Justice Act.
Meanwhile, the perpetrators of financial elder abuse predatory lenders, home repair schemers, con artists, the family and friends of the elderly continue to prey on these easy targets for financial gain.
What about Maggie? After a concerned nursing home social worker contacted CDEL, the center learned that her son, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren had taken over her home and forced her to sign over her Social Security checks each month. They also wiped out her savings and sold her valuables.
Although Maggie's story is all too familiar, she will not become another unchecked statistic. Thanks to CDEL pro bono attorney E. Garnet Fay of O'Brien, Hanrahan & Fay, Maggie now lives with a beloved nephew and his family. She is safe and well cared for, living her life in dignity.
Fay, a legal advocate for the elderly who even makes house calls, brings a clear perspective to his work on behalf of the Maggies of the world.
"Everyone wants to be heard," he said. "There is a great sense of satisfaction in seeing someone's life become physically and emotionally secure because they've been allowed a voice."
CDEL's 1,100 volunteer attorneys and paralegals, who volunteer their time on behalf of society's most vulnerable citizens, speak out on behalf of the elderly whose voices have been quieted by avarice.
Pro bono help is always needed and appreciated, both by CDEL and its clients. Call Jann Dragovich-Stulberg at (312) 908-6087 for information about how you may be able to resolve a legal problem for a distressed senior.
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Elaine Harrison is communications director of the Center for Disability and Elder Law.
Samuel Lanoff, 97, reflects on 75 years in law practice
"Retired" Chicago attorney Samuel M. Lanoff, who celebrated his 97th birthday on Nov. 17, writes that he still boards a suburban train on Mondays and Thursdays to spend half-days in his old office at Morgan, Lanoff, Denniston & Jackson.
After graduating from The John Marshall Law School in 1930, Lanoff joined Kamfner & Halligan at age 22 along with Arthur J. Goldberg. He formed a partnership with Charles J. Morgan in 1946 and left full-time practice four years ago.
"Who can explain why some of us select our work goals early and stick with them through life, while others spend a lifetime looking for the illusive perfect career, partner or home, searching for happiness?" Lanoff asked. He is proud that he represented some of his clients for more than 50 years.
Jean Schild, his legal secretary for 50 years, also started early and still works at the firm. She and Lanoff "have many experiences and memories to recall over lunch," he said.
Looking back on 75 years as a lawyer, Lanoff believes that "life presents many choices, and I couldn't have made better ones." His good health, optimism and enthusiasm allow him to play golf in the summer and bowl in the winter.
A Fellow of the American College of Probate Counsel, he is a past chair of the Chicago Bar Association Probate Practice Committee and a former director of two banks.
Board schedules Jan. 28 meeting
The ISBA Board of Governors will meet at 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 28, at the Westin River North Hotel, Chicago. Tentative agenda items include the draft of a legislative proposal to require a certificate of merit in legal malpractice lawsuits, which is being circulated to sections and committees.
Future board meetings are scheduled Friday, April 8, at a The Herrington Inn, Geneva, and Friday, May 13, at the Renaissance Hotel, Springfield.
The 2005 Annual Meeting will take place Thursday through Saturday, June 16 to 18, at The Abbey on Lake Geneva.
McKenna Storer marks 50th by supporting aid groups
The Chicago firm of McKenna, Storer, Rowe, White & Farrug is celebrating its 50th anniversary by making donations to a pair of legal assistance provider agencies: the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation and Prairie State Legal Services.
The law firm was a sponsor of the annual CVLS Race Judicata benefit in August. For team leader Thomas W. Hayes, it was a warmup for his participation last month in the Chicago Marathon.
McKenna Storer traces its history to 1954, when several insurance defense attorneys banded together at 33 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago.
The original members and their affiliations were William J. McKenna of Hartford Insurance, John W. Storer of Continental Casualty, Royce Glenn Rowe, Fred Cunningham of Fireman's Fund and Victor Gordon of Allstate. They were joined subsequently by John F. White of Sentry Insurance and Eugene J. Farrug.
A partnership was formed in 1960, and the firm devoted the next decade to developing a broad base of practice areas and clients, and expanding its practice beyond the initial focus on defense of automobile cases.
It also adopted the name of McKenna, Storer, Rowe, White & Haskell and moved to 135 N. LaSalle St., where it continued its steady growth and recognition in the legal community.
Tragedy struck the firm in 1975, when McKenna was one of four members of the ISBA Board of Governors who died in an airplane crash on the return flight from a meeting in Peoria. He had been ISBA secretary.
In time, McKenna Storer moved back to 33 N. LaSalle and opened branch offices in Waukegan, Wheaton and Woodstock. Today it numbers 26 attorneys in practice areas that include civil litigation, corporate, environmental, employment and banking and lending law.
Managing partner Gregory L. Cochran is secretary-treasurer of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. Founders Royce Rowe and John White were presidents of the association.
Partner Margaret M. Foster, a past president of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, serves on the board of the National Association of Women Lawyers.
Four Albert Webbers were members of Decatur firm
The Decatur firm of Kehart, Peckert & Booth celebrated the 125th anniversary of its founding last month by presenting commemorative plaques to two descendants of the founder.
The law firm traces its roots back to Nov. 1, 1879, when Albert G. Webber opened a solo practice after being admitted to the bar. He had read law books for five years while serving as a conductor on Rock Island Railroad trains in Iowa.
Albert G. Webber Jr. joined his father in 1919 after Navy service during World War I, and they practiced as Webber & Webber until the founder retired in 1942.
Albert G. Webber III, who entered the practice in 1949, became a 6th Circuit judge in 1966 and eventually a justice of the Illinois Appellate Court.