Bilking the Elderly

In these tough economic times, these kinds of stories have become too common. If you have an elderly member of your family, or elderly neighbors or friends that you fear may be taken advantage of, gently guiding these clients to an attorney to help with their estate planning can put in place some real protections to help make certain that they are not left vulnerable. And, provided that you have a trustworthy attorney, it is another set of eyes that can watch out for your loved-one's interests.

Unfortunately, we occasionally hear of attorneys that have similiarly been wooed by their clients' wealth. You always want to be certain that your loved ones are working with attorneys that can be trusted. Don't be afraid to ask around about an attorney. Sites like avvo.com can give you some limited perspectives, and you can always search the Bar to see if there are any ethical violations for any particular attorney.

Best yet, interview the attorneys to which you are sending this vulnerable population, and make certain that they seem trustworthy. The attorney may not be able to discuss the particular client matter with you, but any attorney ought to be able to provide basic assurances to you that they have a fundamental understanding of, and belief in, the important core ethics of the attorney-client relationship, and all duties that spring from it.