The ABA Commission on Law and Aging is pleased to welcome this year’s Nancy Coleman Summer Intern Rachel Ney and Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging Intern Angela Gandy.

During her internship, Angela Gandy produced an article based on review of temporary emergency adult guardianship statutes across all 51 jurisdictions. Her article is the first intensive analysis of these provisions in 15 years. In addition, Ms. Gandy assisted with researching the legal issues of mandatory pre-dispute arbitration for nursing home residents, and attended a hearing concerning pending federal legislation. Ms. Gandy brings to the ABA internship 20 years in the healthcare field as an intensive care unit coordinator and an insurance reimbursement specialist. She is a rising third-year law student at the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law. The law school is committed to the mission of training public interest lawyers by requiring students to complete 700 hours of public service in one of the seven clinical areas of its top-twenty ranked legal clinical programs. Ms. Gandy also has completed an internship with the District of Columbia City Council Committee on Health, contributing legal research and analysis of proposed health care legislation and current services focusing on the underserved and elderly. She will graduate in May 2009 and is committed to remain in elder-centered public interest law.

Rachel Ney is a rising third-year law student at New York Law School, where she is president of the Tax and Estate Planning Society. Ms. Ney has been committed to the field of elder law throughout her law school career, which is evidenced by her participation in her school’s elder law clinic. During the clinic she had the opportunity to serve as a court evaluator in a guardianship proceeding. Ms. Ney also has had exposure to trust and estate planning, Medicaid planning, and estate administration.

This summer Ms. Ney is working with associate staff director Holly Robinson on a paper that compares provisions in state Continuing Care Retirement Communities laws with the Fair Housing Act. It will recommend that states incorporate the anti-discrimination provisions of the Fair Housing Act into state CCRC laws as a way of educating residents and providers on protections. In fall 2008, Ms. Ney will continue work on a documentary that explores long-term care financing. Ms. Ney plans to pursue a career advocating for the elderly after graduation.

Law students Nisha Thakker and Abigail Petersen, 2006 summer interns at the ABA Commission on Law and Aging.

Matthew Bernt, Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, Washington, D.C., Summer 2007

• My experience at the ABA Commission on Law and Aging was richer and more rewarding than I envisioned. I was able to work closely with a staff attorney examining the application of fair housing law to assisted living facilities. Working with my supervising attorney was an enriching experience, as I learned not only about the law in this area, but also about the work done by the many advocates in the field. I enjoyed working with a staff attorney on a more equal footing than would have been possible in a larger environment. As a result, I was able to experience a side of the law, and a work environment, that I would not have been able to experience had I not worked at the Commission. My experience was not limited to my work in the office. I was able to attend a number of briefings and hearings on Capitol Hill, as well as various forums on emerging issues in elder law. These experiences helped me broaden my understanding of the issues most likely to have a major impact on the law in the coming years. Finally, I am proud to have produced a paper of publishable quality that will, hopefully, be influential in impacting the way states and advocates protect the housing rights of assisted living residents.

 

Monica Sethi, University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore, Md. Summer 2007

• The ABA is a great environment to work in and the staff makes the interns feel at home. Staff attorneys are well-versed in their fields and easily approachable for advice or feedback. The experience tied in directly with my focus on health care law and policy, and I learned about a variety of issues touching upon Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, long-term care financing, and elder neglect and abuse. It was a great opportunity to learn about elder law, because it is a subject rarely taught in law schools. I had the opportunity to attend numerous Congressional hearings and briefings held in the House and Senate offices. My assigned project was to analyze all 50 state’s positions on medical futility and to write a paper based on my research discussing a patient’s right to direct his own health care vs. a provider’s right to decline to provide treatment. I am proud of my work product and excited that this is a topic many in the field are interested in reading. My experience has been invaluable and I would recommend it to others seeking experience in policy, health care, and elder law.

Abigail Petersen, St. Louis University School of Law, Summer 2006

• I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed my experience with the ABA Commission on Law and Aging staff. The office is extremely friendly and very helpful. I attended numerous Congressional hearings and briefings in both the House and Senate, as well as presentations by various Commission staff. The people who work in the health and aging policy network in Washington are a great group. By the end of the internship, I got to know so many people that I was able to recognize and greet familiar faces when I attended meetings in the city. I worked on a survey concerning surrogate decision-making standards across the 50 states and wrote a paper, both of which I am extremely proud. I wholly enjoyed my internship with the ABA Commission and I recommend it to others seeking experience in policy and elder law.

Nisha Thakker, Washington College of Law at American University, Summer 2006

• My experiences at the ABA Commission on Law and Aging this summer proved to be more valuable than I could have imagined. I was given the opportunity to write on a topic that will pave the way (we hope) for more research that is certainly needed in this country. The staff at the Commission was always available for assistance and guidance. The interns were given the chance to attend hearings on the Hill and expand our knowledge to include other aspects of elder law. I’m glad I decided to work at the Commission—it showed me a new sort of law that I would not have experience any other way.