Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Commission on Elder Law to help protect older adults

by Zach Richardson 

As people advance in age, they become more vulnerable to people taking advantage of their finances and legal rights.

The Illinois Supreme Court wants to help change that.

"It's really important that the court system be able to have the tools it needs to protect their interest and to make sure that nobody is preying on the elderly," said attorney Chris Scholz.


The court has established the Commission on Elder Law to study ways in which the state can better serve the needs of those individuals advancing in age.

The Commission will look at the role the court plays in cases such as guardianship as well as the Judicial Branch's obligation to protect the legal rights of the most vulnerable population.

The Commission also wants to hear from the people to be able to make recommendations for Judicial Branch policies, procedures and supreme court rules to help reduce attempts to defraud seniors and mitigate their effects.

To come up with the best possible solution, the Commission is composed of a variety of members.

"We're going to have a medical perspective, a law enforcement perspective, elected official perspective, a judicial perspective, the lawyer perspective and others all filtering the information that the public provides us to reach a solution," said first chair Kerry Peck.

The Commission seeks to protect all elders from being taken advantage of, but Scholz says the population that the commission will benefit the most are those who are unable to make important decisions on their own.

"Primarily, I think the Commission will be helping to educate and inform the court system about ways, particularly guardianship cases when they become necessary, to help the court system best serve the interest of the disabled adult,” Scholz said. “That's paramount."

Peck is thrilled to deliver new changes and innovative ideas to tackle these elder law issues.

"I'm honored that the supreme court has chosen me to lead this Commission and thank the court for its support as we embark on this very important endeavor for both the court and the people of the state of Illinois," said Peck.

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