The North Mississippi Rural Legal Services Elder Law Project, directed by Attorney Al Cutturini, is one of the special projects developed by NMRLS to provide civil legal services to the elderly (60 years of age and older) of Northern Mississippi. This service is free and provided at no charge.

The elderly community of Northern Mississippi is a particularly vulnerable population. Rural, impoverished, isolated, these individuals lack access to basic resources. The NMRLS Elder Law Project exists to bridge this gap and to serve and advocate on behalf of this vulnerable, elderly population in 40 counties in the northern half of Mississippi.

The NMRLS Elder Law Project works in partnership with six Area Agencies on Aging to provide these services. The generous support of the six AAAs and of other community volunteers is essential to our continued success and has resulted in the Elder Law Project’s enormous, positive impact on the community. As of 2017, the Elder Law Project represented and/or counseled clients in 660 cases, and conducted 42 outreach/education programs with 3,140 people in attendance.

Additionally, the NMRLS Elder Law Project:

• Represents clients in a wide variety of civil legal matters, including real property matters, divorce, mortgage modifications, foreclosure prevention, adoption, and public benefit appeals;
• Directs an Elder Law Clinic as part of the University of Mississippi School of Law Civil Legal Clinic;
• Conducts community outreach to the institutionalized and homebound elderly and disabled to provide legal assistance;
• Conducts community legal education workshops for the public held at senior centers, churches, and other locations in the communities;
• Conducts "Will Days" and other outreach activities to provide on-site contact with clients in rural sections of the state;
• Prepares written educational materials and brochures to distribute to the community at outreaches and online concerning important estate planning, consumer law, and other elder law topics;
• Cooperates with other governmental agencies, educational institutions, and community organizations to provide legal assistance to the elderly and disabled;
• Provides training for law students, and other service providers to the elderly, including the annual NMRLS Elder Law Conference.

Annual Elder Law Conference

The NMRLS Elder Law Project conducts the Elder Law Conference each year in Oxford, Mississippi. The conference provides lawyers, social workers, caregivers, and the public with the tools to assist the elderly to live independently and with dignity. Speakers from across the state discuss legal issues impacting Mississippi’s aging population. The 2019 Elder Law Conference will be conducted on Friday, August 9, 2019, at the Oxford Conference Center.  Approval for attorney and social work continuing education credit is pending. 300+ attorneys, social workers, aging professionals, and community members are expected to attend the conference.

2021 Elder Law Conference

North Mississippi Rural Legal Services invites you to attend its online 2021 Elder Law Conference on Friday, August 6, 2021.

Social workers can earn 6 hours of preapproved CE Credit, including 1 hour of ethics/diversity credit. Attorneys can receive 6 CLE credit hours, including 1 hour of ethics. For complete details and to REGISTER ONLINE, visit eventbrite.com.

Online Admission is $25 for social workers and AAA staff if seeking the 6 credits CLE. Online Admission is free for attorneys employed by Legal Services and MVLP attorneys. Online Admission is $200 for all other attorneys if seeking the 6 credits CLE. Admission for the staff of Three Rivers AAA is free, including the CE credits.

All registered attendees will receive a PDF version of the conference materials approximately one week before the conference.

NORTH MISSISSIPPI RURAL LEGAL SERVICES

2021 ELDER LAW CONFERENCE

Friday, August 6, 2021

AGENDA --TBA

Speakers:

Dr. Sarah Moses, Associate Professor of Religion at the University of Mississippi: Covid -19 and the Crisis of Elder Care

Stephen McAlilly, President and CEO of Methodist Senior Services: The Challenges for Homebound Seniors and the Next Age Mississippi Initiative

Karen Allison, Community Development Coordinator at MississippiCare and Terri Jo Teague, Family Medicine Physician at MississippiCare: Food Insecurity and Partnership Programs

Kathy Van Cleave, Director of Education and Outreach at the MIND Center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center: The Impact of Alzheimer's on Minorities

Richard Courtney, Attorney at Courtney Elder Law Associates: Handling Estates for Persons with Alzheimer's

Karyne Jones, President and CEO of National Caucus and Center on Black Aging: Implicit Bias Discrimination in Time of Covid

Susan Ryan, Senior Director of the Greenhouse Project: Long Term Care in the Time of COVID

 2019 Elder Law Clinic

Students enrolled in the Elder Law Clinic work to enhance, protect, and preserve the autonomy of older persons through legal advocacy. Students provide a number of services to their clients, including drafting wills, advance health care directives, and powers of attorney; advising clients on Medicaid, Medicare, nursing home law, consumer issues, and elder abuse; and representing clients in administrative hearings and in court.

The clinic also conducts outreach activities, including presenting community legal education seminars for the general public and for service providers. The Elder Law Clinic goes on the road to provide direct legal assistance in various locations throughout rural North Mississippi including community centers, churches, libraries, nursing homes, hospitals and when necessary, clients’ homes.

Contact Information

VOLUNTEERS: Attorneys, notaries, law students, paralegals, and lay-members of the public are encouraged to volunteer with the NMRLS Elder Law Project. We need your help! Obtain valuable work experience while serving your community. For more info about volunteer opportunities, contact NMRLS Elder Law Project Director, Al Cutturini by email apc@nmrls.com or by telephone (662) 234 - 2918, ext. 2119.

PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS: Are you a Mississippi resident, and are you 60 years of age or older? Do you need civil legal assistance? Wills, powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives, quitclaim deeds, etc.? Contact NMRLS Elder Law Project Director, Al Cutturini by email apc@nmrls.com or by telephone (662) 234 - 2918, ext. 2119.

OUTREACH EVENT/PRESENTATION: Would you like the NMRLS Elder Law Project to give an educational presentation to your group, organization, church, or community? We provide these educational opportunities at no charge. Contact NMRLS Elder Law Project Director, Al Cutturini by email apc@nmrls.com or by telephone (662) 234 - 2918, ext. 2119.