Senior Legal Services (formerly “The Legal Services to the Elderly Program (LSEP)”) provides free legal advice, services, and representation to Baltimore City residents age sixty (60) and older. This is the program’s 21st year. Assistance is provided regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. Senior Legal Services is a program of the Bar Association of Baltimore City.
We do not handle criminal cases, appeals, Plaintiff’s work, or fee generating cases. In addition to our staff members, we have an active panel of volunteer attorneys. The following are just some examples of legal issues we help our clients with: planning for disability, ensuring adequate and safe housing, avoiding exploitation by family members or other individuals, ensuring creditors comply with the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act and Fair Credit Reporting Act, landlord/tenant issues, unpaid property taxes or water bills on a primary residence, obtaining protective orders, drafting Wills, Advance Medical Directives, and statutory Powers of Attorney, obtaining name changes, reviewing contracts, appealing denial of government benefits, filing for bankruptcy, and guardianships. Outreach and education is also an integral part of the Program’s mission. SLS hosts an annual Law Day for Seniors, at which hundreds of seniors participate in discussions of legal issues relevant to seniors. Our attorneys make home visits and do legal consultations at senior citizen apartment buildings and at senior centers. This is a creative way to help seniors whose limited resources and/or mobility would otherwise prevent them from obtaining the legal advice and/or estate planning they need. Our attorneys also give interactive presentations at senior citizen apartment buildings and at senior centers. Our staff attends regular meetings in furtherance of SLS’s relationship with other pro bono legal service providers. For example, we participate in the Pro Bono Resource Center’s Pro Bono Coordinating Counsel, the Legal Aid Bureau’s Elder Law Task Force, and the Baltimore City Health Department Office on Aging and CARE Services’ Waxter Wisdom series.
