Elder Law

The Department’s Senior Services Area Agency on Aging administers a variety of programs designed to address the diverse needs and interests of older Chicagoans, from those who are healthy and active, to those who are frail and homebound. The agency operates six Regional Senior Centers that act as community focal points for information and assessment, and provide senior services in health and fitness, education and recreation. Additionally, the Department offers caregiving assistance in the form of workshops, support groups, respite care, legal assistance and case management. For seniors, it offers insurance counseling and an online well-being check. 

A power of attorney (POA) for health care is a form that lets you choose a person to make health care decisions for you. The person you choose will then be able to make health care decisions for you when you can't make decisions for yourself. You can also use the power of attorney for health care to tell the person what decisions you want made for you.

The person you give the power of attorney to is the agent and you are the principal. The agent is usually a spouse, a close friend, or a trusted relative.

You must create the power of attorney while you are still able to make decisions for yourself. You can't create a power of attorney after an injury or illness prevents you from making your own decisions. This means that you must be mentally competent to create a power of attorney.

The form can be found at the link below. If you would like a helpful walkthrough to ensure you are filling out the legal form correctly, you might consider starting at the link found here (Illinois Legal Aid).

IDA is designed to help older people live independently. The Community Care Program provides in-home and adult day services to frail seniors each month. To be eligible for service, clients must be 60 or over and their asset level (for a single person) cannot be over $17,500 (not including home, car or furnishings); a cost share is applied if the client's income is above a specified level.

Members of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) are attorneys who are experienced and trained in working with the legal problems of aging Americans and individuals of all ages with disabilities. Simply click "Find a Lawyer" and type in your zip code to get a list of elder law professionals and pro bono lawyers in your area.

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services' mission is to coordinate, support and promote the voluntary pro bono legal representation of the Chicago area's poor and working poor. Case work involves probate, including disabled adult guardianship, advance directive and small estates.

Janna Dutton and Kathryn Casey are named as 2 of the top 10 Elder Law Attorneys in Illinois by Leading Lawyer Network; and are Certified Elder Law Attorneys (CELA). Services include guardianship, probate, and elderlaw.

At Monahan Law Group, LLC, elder law attorneys offer legal counsel and support to individuals and agencies in Chicago with elder planning and litigation matters involving: elder abuse, nursing home appeals, medicaid planning, and contested estates.

The Principal of Otis Law Group, Ltd., Donna L. Otis, is recognized for her knowledge of elder law, estate planning, administration, and probate matters. Otis Law Group, Ltd. is built on the foundation of experience, empathy and service and practices in: estate planning (power of attorneys, wills and trusts), probate (guardianship and deceased estates), disability law, and elder law. 

The Center for Disability and Elder Law (CDEL) coordinates the provision of quality legal services, pro bono, to low-income seniors and/or persons with disabilities in Cook County. CDEL focuses its legal services on systemic issues which have a disparate impact on our clientele, specifically issues related to financial stability, housing, end of life planning, and financial exploitation and abuse. In addition to offering services from CDEL's main office located in downtown Chicago, CDEL also offers its services at Senior Legal Assistance Clinics Iocated throughout suburban Cook County and the Chicago city limits. To be eligible for services from CDEL, you must live in Cook County, have a household income at or below one hundred fifty percent (150%) of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and be sixty 60+ years old or live with a permanent disability.

Legal Aid Chicago offers a range of legal services in five main areas of law: Children & Families, Consumer, Housing, Immigrants & Workers’ Rights, and Public Benefits. Legal Aid Chicago also partners with volunteer attorneys and community organizations to offer free legal clinics and help desks. Persons with limited assets and income at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level are financially eligible for services. We have higher income limits for homeowners at risk of foreclosure, seniors, veterans, people living with HIV-AIDS, and domestic violence survivors seeking protection from an abuser.

 All clients must be registered by telephone and screened for eligibility through the Client Screening Unit at 312.341.1070. 

For Ombudsman for seniors in nursing homes and assisted living facilities in suburban Cook County and Lake County, Illinois, call 888.401.8200 toll-free.

CARPLS provides free legal services in the areas of housing, employment, education, consumer debt, divorce, guardianship, estates, personal injury, property damage, public benefits and health care. It also operates a free hotline where you can talk directly to attorneys who offer legal advice and assistance, often solving problems in a single call--312-738-9200. 

Additionally, free legal aid is available for qualifying service members and veterans--call 855-IL-AFLAN to see if you qualify.

Green Light Family Services provides a number of services to help caregivers through the process of attaining legal custody of a child that is in their care. The range of services offered includes adoption, adult guardianship, backup planning, clinical services, and minor guardianship. Green Light Family Services offers clients services at a cost that is fair for each family by determining fees using a sliding scale based off of yearly income. Each case we receive is different and fees are based off of many factors. Call for more information.

Elder Law Wellness Initiative (ELWI) offers free legal services to Cook County residents, aged sixty or over, and their caregivers. ELWI can arrange for you to speak to an attorney about many issues, including financial exploitation, elder abuse & neglect, orders of protection, guardianship, family law, consumer complaints, landlord/tenant rights, eviction, foreclosure, collection, powers of attorney, wills & trusts, probate and more. ELWI also operates the Elder Justice Court Support Program, where attorneys provide free legal information in the pedway of the Richard J. Daley Center, by the eastside escalator, next to Starbucks. Service is offered via walk-in and appointment. After discussing your legal issues with you, an attorney can offer information about your concerns. In some cases, they can handle your matter on the spot, or they can connect you to someone who can assist you.

Illinois Legal Aid Online's mission is to increase access to justice for lower-income and vulnerable Illinois residents through the innovative use of technology to assist and educate the public and to train and support legal aid providers and pro bono attorneys. ILAO uses technology to lower barriers to the law so that people can understand their legal options, make informed decisions, and when necessary represent themselves in court. Legal information is presented in easy to understand plain language, and information is provided in a variety of ways, including video, text, foreign languages, and interactive formats. ILAO directs people to the most appropriate legal resources for their problem and location. If someone qualifies for legal aid, they can immediately apply with a click. If they do not qualify, they are quickly referred to self-help resources and other suitable options. Additionally, ILAO guides people through the process of representing themselves and provides the tools they need to do it.

The Senior Citizen Resource Guide provides access to information about services that may be of interest to seniors. It offers referrals to legal and self representative (pro se) assistance available throughout Cook County, and provides links to other governmental entities that provide services relevant to seniors. 

A national resource center for the legal services and aging and disability networks, focused on the legal rights of older adults. Providing webinars, trainings, written materials, and case consultations, NCLER is a one-stop resource for professionals serving older adults with the greatest economic and social needs. NCLER is administered by Justice in Aging in partnership with the National Consumer Law Center, the ABA Commission on Law & Aging, and The Center for Social Gerontology, under contract with the Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) Administration on Aging.

Peck Ritchey, LLC is a boutique law firm that concentrates its practice in all aspects of probate (guardianship and deceased estates), estate planning (power of attorneys, wills and trusts), guardianship, special needs planning, and elder law with an emphasis on the litigation of contested wills, trusts, and disabled persons’ estates. Peck Ritchey represents all parties to decedent’s estate litigation, trust litigation, contested guardianship as well as other areas of probate litigation.