Elder Law and Consumer Protection Clinic
Older adults often face a unique set of legal concerns ranging from health and long-term care needs to issues of abuse and neglect. As a student at Penn State Dickinson, you have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in issues of law and aging by working in our Elder Law and Consumer Protection Clinic. The clinic is staffed and operated by Penn State Dickinson students who are certified to practice in Pennsylvania courts. The Clinic provides "first chair" opportunities to interview and counsel clients, prepare correspondence and legal documents, and negotiate or prepare for appearances in front of courts or administrative agencies.
Under the guidance of practicing attorneys with expertise on specific elder law issues, these students are often the primary legal resource for elders throughout the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, region. Recent visiting practitioners include Nichole Walters, Esq. from Domestic Violence Legal Services in Dauphin County, Douglas Roeder, Esq., who has a background in taxation, bankruptcy and debtor issues, and Mark Allshouse, Esq., who draws upon his expertise in general practice litigation.
Penn State Dickinson supplements the clinical experience with related courses as well as an elder law workshop led by Professor Katherine Pearson. In the classroom setting, students have the time to reassess approaches to common clinic scenarios and the opportunity to contribute their ideas and research to the clinic effort.
