The Lawyer's Role in Fostering an Elder Rights Movement

Abstract:     
This article argues that older adults experience significant civil rights problems, which the current approach to old-age advocacy is fundamentally ill-suited to address, and explains why an elder rights movement is an appropriate vehicle to address these concerns. It then shows how lawyers can play a critical role in helping such a movement to emerge. Specifically, it posits that the legal community could help foster an elder rights movement by reframing key elder law concerns as civil rights concerns, and engaging in and with “cause lawyering” activities.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 31

Keywords: elder law, civil rights, social movements, cause lawyering, aging, gerontology

Accepted Paper Series