About the Senior Legal Hotline

▪ Mission Statement
▪ Our History
▪ Eligibility
▪ Our Service
▪ Referrals
▪ Grandparent Project

▪ Hot Line Staff
▪ Volunteers Needed
▪ Funding
▪ Affiliated Projects
▪ Contact Us

MISSION

The Senior Legal Hotline exists to provide seniors with fast, accurate advice on any legal subject, by phone and Internet. We aim to empower callers to solve the problems they face, and when needed, we may offer limited extra assistance. When clients need more help than we can offer - representation in court, for instance - we do our best to help them find it. We also engage as much as we can in educational efforts to help seniors prevent legal problems before they occur. And we aspire to take a leadership role among other providers of legal assistance to seniors in California, working with them to increase the extent of help available and the efficiency with which it is provided.

HISTORY

The Senior Legal Hotline began in 1991 as a Sacramento-only project. A federal grant in 1994 enabled it to expand to all of Northern California for the following three years. Ups and downs followed, until late 2003, when a new federal grant mandated service to the entire state. Additional funds will be needed, however, before the hotline can increase its staff and capacity sufficiently to provide fully for such a large population. For continuing provision of our service to California seniors, we hope the state Legislature and Department of Aging will eventually decide to support senior legal services permanently – a statewide hotline for individual phone service, educational leadership and a perspective of the big picture, as well as local offices that can provide more representation to individuals in need and address issues that affect many people in a particular area.

ELIGIBILITY

The Senior Legal Hotline provides assistance to Californians over 60 regardless of income, though its mission is to seek out those who are economically or socially disadvantaged, disabled or isolated. Click here for a full list of counties, with links to local nonprofit partners that might be able to provide additional assistance.

OUR SERVICE

Eligible callers can receive a free telephone consultation with an attorney or paralegal. If no one is available to answer immediately, an appointment is made for an advocate to call within two days. Emergencies can be addressed more quickly. Through the hotline’s web site, seniors can also submit questions by e-mail. This leads to a phone appointment.

Most callers receive the advice and information they need during a single phone call. In many instances, they will also receive fact sheets, booklets and/or forms relating to their questions in the mail, along with the hotline's own "Senior Legal Check-up" and a client satisfaction survey with a request for voluntary donations.

In some instances, the need for additional research requires follow-up calls; and hotline staff at times try to resolve client problems directly, through telephone calls or letters to third parties, document review, and assistance with forms. The decision on whether to provide such additional service takes into account factors such as the nature of the problem; the client's ability to solve it alone or with help from friends and relatives; his or her income and assets; and staff availability.

REFERRALS

SLH is not a lawyer referral service, but if clients need specialized or ongoing legal representation, they are advised on how best to find an attorney. With certain cases, hotline staff can help obtain free legal representation for low-income clients through legal aid programs or from private attorneys who volunteer their time. The hotline also works with a referral service of private attorneys who provide estate and long-term care planning and can handle cases involving conservatorships or elder abuse, with a limited number of no- and reduced-fee slots available.

GRANDPARENT PROJECT

The hotline is also able to provide advice to grandparent caregivers regarding custody, visitation and other issues. We hold volunteer-staffed clinics to assist with preparing guardianship petitions in Sacramento, and help with client screening and backup for similar clinics in several other counties. Contact us for more information about extending this program in your area.

HOTLINE STAFF

Our staff consists of a small number of attorneys, paralegals, administrative support staff and receptionists, plus a corps of volunteers of all sorts.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Our corps of volunteers enables us to serve many more clients than we could with staff alone. They include attorneys -- starting out, retired and in-between -- paralegals, bookkeepers, clerical assistants, social workers, students in all these fields and others interested in helping with client service, outreach, office tasks and more. Lots of on-the-job training is available. Click here for more information.

FUNDING

Funding for the hotline in Sacramento County is through the Area 4 Agency on Aging. The Administration on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, supports services to other parts of California. These are supplemented with assistance from foundations, other funds and individual donations -- checks, used vehicles, bequests. Click here for more information on donating to the hotline.

AFFILIATED PROJECTS

The Senior Legal Hotline is a program of Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC), a nonprofit corporation that offers civil legal assistance and representation in certain types of cases to low-income people of any age in 22 counties. Other special programs within LSNC that can help seniors include:

California seniors seeking legal advice:
(916) 551-2140 in Sacramento; (800) 222-1753 toll-free in California 9-12 and 1-4 Monday through Friday;
until 7p.m. Thursdays or by e-mail.

Other inquiries and requests (not calls for legal advice):
(916) 551-2145 or by e-mail: