Ageing gracefully

The elderly are increasingly affluent.

They buy and sell residential and commercial property, and get involved in disputes and litigation

As even Dorian Gray discovered, ageing is an inevitable process.

But thanks to the equally inevitable advances of science and medicine, that process is becoming increasingly lengthy and the population of this country is getting ever older.This week, referral and training organisation Solicitors for the Elderly holds its annual conference, and the message from the organisers to practitioners is: don't forget the pensioners.SfE says solicitors have traditionally regarded the elderly as a low-priority source of potential work.

In today's ageing society and highly competitive legal marketplace, that is a mistake.The elderly are increasingly affluent, as lawyers in the US have long recognised.

They buy and sell residential and commercial property, and get involved in consumer disputes and litigation.They need legal advice, just as those a generation younger do.

And there are specific legal issues relating to getting old for solicitors to exploit.

As one solicitor pushing 60 pointed out at the recent Solicitors Annual Conference, elderly clients like to speak to advisers of a similar age.Many would consider 65 to be the start of a new life.

The same could be said of the solicitors who recognise this group's needs and spending power.