The Elder Law Project of South Coastal Counties Legal Services makes an outreach visit to Marthas Vineyard the first Monday of each month, rotating between Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven (Tisbury) and the Up-Island Council on Aging in West Tisbury. Appointments can be made by phoning the particular COA directly.
The schedule for the next several months is always available at the ICOA newsletter. If home visits are necessary, requests and arrangements should be made by calling the COA. If a client needs an attorney before the next scheduled visit, he or she should call the SCCLS office in Hyannis (508-775-7020) and ask the receptionist, Rasheda Dickerson, to do an elder intake, which will then be routed to the appropriate advocate for response.
The Elder Law Project attorney is available to consult with elders about wide areas of concern. We do not undertake any representation, and are probably not the best source of consultation, in areas like motor vehicle and licensing matters, and are prohibited from representing clients in fee generating cases, such as personal injuries. Because of the inevitable potential for conflicts, we do not advise landlords in landlord/tenant cases, either.
We do regularly consult and counsel clients in areas like consumer, reverse mortgages, government benefits of all types, general estate planning, housing conditions and evictions, family law, and other areas of elders’ concerns. We undertake direct representation of clients in almost all government benefit cases and subsidized housing evictions.
We do not have the resources to draft wills or trusts, and we undertake representation in non-subsidized evictions on a time available status. We believe strongly in the value of consulting with an attorney prior to major life decisions€”transferring property, loaning money to family members, obtaining reverse mortgages, and the like.
Whenever there is any doubt whether a matter is appropriate to discuss with us, we urge the elder to err on the side of involving us. Frequently, if we are not the appropriate avenue for assistance, we can suggest options.
Contact Information
Contact: Rasheda Dickerson
Phone: 800-244-9023
Email: jmarcotte@sccls.org
Website: http://www.sccls.org
Address:
460 West Main Street
Hyannis, MA
Mailing Address:
PO Box 2507, 22 Bedford Street, 2nd Floor
Fall River, MA 02722