This fall, Springwell and MetroWest Legal Services have joined together to promote and protect the rights of seniors. Springwell has provided MetroWest Legal Services with a two-year grant through our Community Grants Program to run an Elder Law Clinic that provides information, advice and referrals to seniors, and conduct free community seminars on legal issues relevant to older adults. MetroWest Legal Services (MWLS) has been a respected elder law service provider our communities for more than 30 years, and we welcome their experience in helping seniors in our area.

Starting October 1st, through its Senior Citizen’s Legal Project, MWLS advocates will provide legal representation for elders including information, advice, brief service and full representation in court or other administrative hearings for seniors in Belmont, Brookline, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley and Weston on the following issues:

• Housing matters, especially evictions and foreclosures
• Durable Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies, and Defense of Guardianships and Conservatorships
• Nursing Home Issues
• Public Benefits, including Social Security, SSI, Unemployment, MassHealth, SNAP, etc.
• Domestic Relations, including restraining orders and divorces for seniors who cannot afford private counsel
• Bankruptcies and consumer rights issues

MetroWest Legal Services will also provide Community Legal Education through a partnership with local Councils on Aging to senior groups on legal topics of particular interest to elders.

“At MetroWest Legal Services, we believe that access to justice should not just be for those who can afford it, but must be available for everyone. We are thrilled to be partnering with Springwell to protect individual rights and improve the lives of seniors in our communities,” says Betsy Soule, Executive Director of MWLS.

Photo caption: Springwell’s Laura Sheers (l) with MWLS’s Advocacy Director, Steve Matthews (c), and Executive Director, Betsy Soule.