By introducing law students to our field, MO NAELA hopes to inspire interest that leads to more high-quality elder law attorneys in the future.
It was a cold morning in mid-Missouri when the 2023 Board of Directors of NAELA’s Missouri chapter first met to discuss goals for the upcoming year. The group of colleagues sat in a conference room overlooking a field where the sun glinted off the remaining patches of snow and warmed the rolling hills. It was the type of morning to inspire conversation and connection.
Of course, the usual business was covered: the budget was set, objectives for educational events were reviewed, and committees were assembled. When the discussion of overall chapter goals began, however, the conversation became animated and fun.
Many shared their personal stories as to how they began practicing elder law. A theme quickly emerged. Almost everyone had a personal connection to this area of law and all the stories highlighted a strong passion for helping people. Several members experienced a close family member going through the long-term care journey. Others sought a practice area that was challenging but provided satisfaction from directly helping vulnerable clients. This discussion sparked the group to focus on connections with Missouri law schools with the objective of drawing interest in the field of elder law amongst new attorneys.
The state of Missouri has four law schools, all with positive reputations and which graduate excellent attorneys each year. The Missouri chapter recognizes that as our population ages there will be a greater need for elder law services, but that it is not yet a commonly known area of practice for law students. By introducing law students to our field, MO NAELA hopes to inspire interest that leads to more high-quality elder law attorneys in the future.
The board charged its members with hosting an event with a local law school. One such event, of three planned so far, had noteworthy success. The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law is the only law school in the Kansas City (KC) metro area and has a history of fostering close relationships with attorneys. During the summer of 2023, a few NAELA members from the KC area were in touch with the school’s career services office to discuss details and they agreed upon an event date in mid-September. The school recommended including a member of the Estate Planning Society student organization to assist with planning. Once school was back in session, the student members got involved. They spread the word by posting flyers around the school, sending invitations by email to the society’s members, and announcing the event at the beginning of relevant classes, such as “Wills, Estates, and Trusts.”
With the school’s and society’s efforts, around 30 students attended the roundtable event. Four MO NAELA attorneys were each assigned a topic and held a short discussion with the small group at their roundtable. Every 10 minutes, the students shifted to the next roundtable to examine a new subject with a different NAELA attorney. The topics discussed were powers of attorney, special needs trusts, Medicaid planning, and ethical issues specific to elder law. The attorneys generally started each roundtable session by introducing themselves and their topic and then left time for questions or to get to know the students. The roundtable format fostered spontaneous stories and astute questions.
For example, one student formerly worked as a home health nurse. She worked with families who were in crisis, and she obviously helped using her medical knowledge. However, she heard so many discussions that centered around legal issues that she recognized a need for legal assistance for families during this trying time. Another student served in the military prior to attending law school and plans on assisting veterans, understanding he can connect with them differently than other attorneys. These students already have an emotional connection to the services provided by elder law attorneys, and now they have a personal connection to a practitioner in the field.
The feedback from the students and faculty who attended has been very positive. The MO NAELA Board believes that an initial connection is powerful, but an ongoing relationship is meaningful. The Missouri chapter is quite active, hosting one two-day symposium, two chapter meetings, and four phone calls each year. To encourage students to build on the initial conversation, MO NAELA will be giving away one student membership to an attendee of one of the law school events, drawn at random.
The Missouri chapter hopes to continue these student meetings on an annual basis. The details of this event are shared with the hope that other NAELA chapters will use this format to make similar connections.
