Old grey legal test

Many solicitors wrongly assume that elderly clients tend to be financially hard up and unable to pay legal fees, which has led to a dearth of specialist lawyers and a surplus of work in the area, according to the referral and training organisation Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE).On the eve of its annual conference this week, Liz Holdsworth, SFE regional group co-ordinator and partner in Shrewsbury firm Wace Morgan, said the elderly were often overlooked as a client group.

'Many people think that everyone over 70 sits huddled by a gas fire, unable to survive on their pension, let alone pay for legal services,' she said.

'On the contrary, there are a lot of wealthy older people, and this is a potentially very lucrative area.'SFE, which has 300 members in 13 regional groups, operates a helpline which members of the public with elderly relatives, or organisations such as Age Concern and the Alzheimers Society, can call and be referred to an SFE-approved solicitor.

'Because this country has an ageing population, there is more and more demand for trusted and reliable solicitors who have expertise in this area,' said Mrs Holdsworth.

'They deal with traditional issues such as wills and probate, but also dealing with health authorities and increasingly elderly abuse cases.'

LINKS: www.solicitorsfortheelderly.comVictoria MacCallum