“By bringing the practices of lawyers into better alignment with clinical realities… the Guide enables lawyers to help their clients get medical care that truly honors their values, choices, and preferences throughout all stages of their illness” -Louraine Arkfeld, chair of the ABA Commission on Law and Aging.
This new guide will help lawyers, medical professionals and caregivers write and implement end-of-life health instructions that are clear and effective. It bridges the chasm between lawyers and doctors and helps lawyers provide guidance that fits clinical and family realities. It enriches the relationship between clients and professionals by giving clinicians and lawyers tools to guide patients and clients through the advance care planning process.
It includes a checklist for lawyers, which offers an itemized listing of what is expected throughout the entire process, plus drafting tips, self-help planning tools lawyers can provide to clients, and information on online resources.
Advance Directives: Counseling Guide for Lawyers, is a collaborative work by a team of organizations, lawyers and medical experts from the ABA Commission on Law and Aging, the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, the University of California San Francisco Medical School and the UC/Hastings Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy. The project was funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation with support from The Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging.
To download the guide, click here.