Elder Law

Seniors face a new set of legal needs as they age, and preparedness and good advice can make all the difference between a comfortable retirement and a time of stress and conflict. We frequently see clients with property disputes associated with family misunderstandings or misconduct, as well as financial abuse and other distressing issues. 

If you are the victim of physical abuse or are facing a livability crisis in your home, please contact your local police or Department of Social Services (DSS). 

The police department performs free wellness checks on vulnerable adults, and DSS's Adult Protective Services department will investigate and correct elder abuse. If you'd like to speak with an attorney over the phone or in person, just give us a call at (843) 640-5980, or click the button below to submit a contact form.

  • Many elder adults face difficult situations with respect to property titles, mortgages, and sales of property. CLA can assist with partition of property (when two or more property owners disagree about what to do with it), deed transfers, and other property related matters.

    We also do civil litigation related to fraud, conversion (theft) and other types of financial abuse. And we work with the Mayor's Office on Aging and other free resources to cross-refer clients and make sure that they have access to as much support as possible if they are dealing with financial abuse or exploitation.

  • In situations where an adult is no longer competent to make their own decisions and care for themselves, a friend or relative may petition for guardianships (to handle health and other decisions) and/or conservatorships (to handle finances). These petitions are handled by the probate court. Charleston County's probate court has an excellent website with instructions and links to all of the necessary paperwork to go through this process (See below). We can provide attorneys to represent you through this process for our normal hourly fees; however, we know that many people cannot afford even a low fee for attorney representation. Probate court is designed to be approachable for non-lawyers. If you would like our help to sit down and fill out the forms and notarize them, we can do that during a one-time, flat fee consultation.

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