AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE) opened a "staff-less" branch office in a community center serving low-income community residents 60+ in order to expand the organization's presence in some elder communities. The office is open two days per week. It is staffed by volunteers who are recruited by the community center and trained and supervised by LCE staff located in LCE's main office. The volunteers see community residents by appointment and conduct interviews. The volunteers call their supervisor at the main office if additional assistance is needed with reviewing cases and deciding how to proceed. Volunteers navigate a specially created website to find legal information relevant to the client's problem. The volunteers can use a document generator to create a wide range of documents, including small claims complaints, health care powers of attorney and letters to creditors. All documents are e-mailed to the supervisor for review and modifications are e-mailed back for signature. Volunteers can conduct public benefits check-ups and perform a variety of other tasks using the website. Creating "staff-less" branch offices has helped AARP restore a legal services presence in some low-income communities that they could not afford to support otherwise. For more information, see the article below.
Contact Information:
Grayce Rund AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly 601 E Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20049 Phone: (202) 434-2098 Fax: (202) 434-6593 grund@aarp.org
LSC:
America's Partner for Equal Justice 
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