Legal Aspects of Elder Abuse Subject of April 26 Symposium

California's Attorney General Lockyer to Open the Discussion

"Honor Thy Mother & Father: A Symposium on the Legal Aspects of Elder Abuse" is scheduled for Friday afternoon, April 26, on the Loyola Law School campus, Los Angeles. The opening presentation will be given by California's Attorney General Bill Lockyer. Guest speakers will tackle the issues of abuse and neglect of elder persons -- physically, emotionally and financially.

The topics will be: "Elder Abuse and Neglect: Current Developments in California and the Nation" with Prof. Seymour Moskowitz of Valparaiso Univ. School of Law; "Financial Abuse of the Elderly in California" with Attorney Jeanne Finberg of the National Senior Citizens Law Center; "Swimming with the Sharks: Financial Elder Abuse in the Lending and Gaming Industries" with Prof. Kurt Eggert of Chapman Univ. School of Law; and "Using the Courts -- Litigating Elder Abuse Cases" with panelists Hon. Carl J. West of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Attorney Stephen M. Garcia of Wilkes and McHugh, PA, and Attorney Rick Canvel of LaFollette, Johnson.

"Elder abuse and neglect is a pervasive problem in our society," says symposium moderator and professor of law Sande Buhai of Loyola Law School. "Yet, this crisis has received little attention from the legal community. It is time to focus on access to justice for this group."

"We really appreciate the support of our sponsor, the Law Firm of Wilkes & McHugh, PA, which helped us establish the symposium," states Dean David W. Burcham. The Symposium wraps up at 5 p.m. with a reception and question-and-answer session. Admission is free and open to the public ($80 for attorneys seeking 4 MCLE credits). Please register by telephone, email or the web.

The symposium will be held Friday, April 26, from 1 - 5 p.m. in the Student Lounge at Loyola Law School, 919 S. Albany Street, Los Angeles.