More About Our Volunteer System

Dear Colleague:

Thank you for your interest in joining SeniorLAW Center’s volunteer panel to provide representation to our low-income elderly clients.  I am happy to provide additional information to you about becoming a SeniorLAW Center volunteer and hope that you will be joining us.  We always are in great need of new volunteers to serve the vast population of Philadelphia’s elders who need legal assistance and access to our system of justice.

SeniorLAW Center (formerly known as Senior Citizen Judicare Project) provides free legal services to persons sixty years of age and older who have limited incomes and live in Philadelphia.  Founded in 1978, our mission is to protect the legal rights and interests of older Philadelphians in need.  Each year, we assist thousands of seniors with problems which affect their homes, health, independence, financial survival, and quality of life.  

The need for your help is enormous.  Philadelphia has the largest and one of the poorest populations of senior citizens among this country’s 20 largest cities.  Nearly 25 percent of our community’s elderly -- 1 in 4 -- are living at or below the poverty level or are economically vulnerable.  Most are women. 

Attorneys who join our volunteer panel may provide representation in a wide range of legal matters, from preparation of advance planning documents to negotiations with unscrupulous contractors to various types of litigation.  Volunteers can choose to participate in one or several of the following services for low-income elders:

1. The writing of simple wills, deeds, powers of attorney and living wills;

2. Landlord/tenant problems;

3. Petitions for protection against domestic abuse;

4. Consumer protection claims;

5. Housing Code violation proceedings;

6. Real estate tax review proceedings;

7.  Financial exploitation issues;

8. The raising of small and uncomplicated estates consisting primarily of a family home that will not be sold;

9. Certain appeals to the Court of Common Pleas; and

10. Grandparent Custody and/or Support Cases for elders raising young children.

In many of these areas, we are the only recourse for low-income clients.  Without your help, they would likely have no access to assistance. 

Members of SeniorLAW Center staff also provide advice, information, referral and advocacy services to elders on a wide variety of other legal problems.  We also conduct extensive community legal education, holding workshops at senior citizen and family centers throughout Philadelphia, and bringing our intake and counseling services directly to these sites.  We also work to educate professionals who work with the elderly, including those in the medical, law enforcement, social service and banking professions.  We distribute current and clearly written resource materials on legal issues important to older people and advocate for the elderly on various task forces, committees and organizations.