Lamson & Cutner’s Continuing Education courses for Social Workers were featured in the October issue of the American Bar Association Journal.  Beginning in January 2015, Social Workers in New York have been required to complete 36 hours of continuing education during every three-year licensing cycle.  Lamson & Cutner was the first law firm to be authorized to give CE credits to social workers for the firm’s courses on Elder Law.

Social workers who work with seniors are often on the front lines when their clients begin needing long-term care.  When these professionals learn some of the basics of New York Elder Law, their knowledge can be be enormously beneficial to their clients.  Often, when seniors need care, they worry about their finances and how they are going to pay for that care.  Social workers can explain to their clients that they have options.  There are ways that seniors can protect themselves from spending down their entire life’s savings within a few short years, paying for long-term care.  Social workers can also explain that having Advance Directives in place – particularly a Health Care Proxy and a Power of Attorney – can help assure that their clients’ wishes are carried out, even if those clients are unable to act for themselves.

Lamson & Cutner has always been focused on educating seniors and the professionals who care for them about important Elder Law issues.  Gaining authorization to grant CE credits was a logical extension of that education process.