HOW I CAME TO PRACTICE ELDER LAW

In the blog section of our website, the aim will be to educate the reader by disseminating useful information in choosing the right lawyer for them.  I thought that before I go further in doing that, I needed to explain how I came to practice Elder Law.

It wasn't my chosen destiny.  To be quite frank, I needed a job after my 2nd year of Law School at Dickinson School of Law - www.dickinsonlaw.psu.edu, and time was working against me.  I was lucky enough to be offered a position and smart enough to accept it by the SeniorLaw Center - www.seniorlawcenter.org, a wonderful non-profit agency in Philadelphia.

My experience there was a transformative event in my life.  I had the privilege to serve low-income senior citizens in Philadelphia in my halcyon days of practicing law.  The clients were wonderful.  So appreciative and so real.  I learned so much from them, especially Mr. C.  This gentle man taught me about Negro League Baseball.  To this day, to honor him, my fantasy baseball team is called the Philadelphia Stars, a Negro League baseball team from 1933-52.  Today, I also follow negroleaguemuseum@nlbmprez on twitter which keeps Mr. C. in my memory forever.  Mr. C. represented the grandfather I never had.  He taught me about a part of baseball history that I knew little about even though I had plenty exposure to baseball.  Not only did I learn more about baseball, but I learned more about life in general from him.  Baseball was just the bond that drew us together.  I knew a lot about baseball and was embarrassed how little I knew about Negro League baseball.  But, Mr. C. never judged me for my ignorance.  He just enjoyed teaching me and seeing me grow as a man.  I think he also liked me because I listened to him and respected him.  He died a few years later.  I attended his funeral.  I still miss him. 

But, something else was drawing me to continue to serve older adults even after it was time for me to transition away from the great people at SeniorLaw Center.  You see, I never had a grandfather and had only one grandmother.  I had a good relationship with her until my teenage years when our relationship deteriorated until her death when I was in college.  It was mostly my fault.

I'm not a jealous or envious person.  I am who I am.  But, as I would hear stories from my friends or my wife, I became jealous of their stories about their love and affection with their grandparents.  It is different than the bond with your parents. I never had that special bond.  At least, over the past 20 years, I have come close to developing that bond by serving so many older adults that have touched me, inspired me, and made me feel special like only a grandparent can.

Thank you to my older adult clients these past 20 years for giving me what I so desperately needed.  Thank you Mr. C.  Hope you are playing catch with Josh Gibson and Babe Ruth right now.