PRESS RELEASE                                                                    

March 19, 2008

Contact: Karen C. Buck

(215) 701-3201

KBuck@SeniorLAWCenter.org

HISPANIC SENIOR LEGAL CLINIC

Philadelphia Works Together

(Philadelphia)  On Friday, March 14th, the Philadelphia SeniorLAW Center in conjunction with the Somerset Villas and PECO and Exelon Corporation’s legal department hosted a free legal clinic for Hispanic Senior Citizens at the Somerset Villas in north Philadelphia.  Living Wills and Medical Power of Attorney documents were prepared for 75 Hispanic senior citizens who attended the morning-long clinic.

Attorneys from PECO and Exelon were joined by members of their legal departments who served as notaries for the event.  A Spanish-speaking representative of PECO’s Universal Services group met with clients to discuss PECO programs designed for low-income, residential customers.  Members of the Organization of Latinos at Exelon provided critical translation support and attended from throughout the Delaware Valley, including as far away as Forked River, New Jersey.  Assuring the clinic’s success were the translation services of volunteers from CEIBA, a coalition of Latino organizations in Philadelphia, students from Rutgers and Villanova law schools, and Somerset Villas staff.  Members of the Hispanic Bar Association were joined by an attorney from the Department of Justice as well as attorneys and paralegals from Morgan Lewis, Pepper Hamilton and Dechert, many of whom were bi-lingual.   A volunteer from the Alzheimer's Association served as DJ and provided festive Latino music throughout the morning as well as set up and break down of the facility.  Staff of the SeniorLAW Center rounded the contingency of Philadelphians working together to serve their community.

“This pro bono project was the most exhilarating and ambitious we’ve ever pursued in our 30-year history of serving seniors,” said Karen C. Buck, Executive Director of SeniorLAW Center. “We thank PECO and Exelon for taking on the enormous challenge of serving seniors in their own language and in their own community.  The long line of Latino elders seeking services in this bilingual legal clinic is hard evidence that this is a community that continues to be underserved.  This was a true collaborative effort – corporate, public interest, law schools, the minority Bar, and private firms -- and shows what we can accomplish when we work together, creatively and boldly."