LSU Law Class of 2016 graduate Derek Warden has been named the 2016-2017 Equal Justice Works Elder Justice AmeriCorps Legal Fellow. Warden has worked with numerous public interest organizations, held a research assistantship, published and edited for the Journal of Civil Law Studies, and won various fellowships and scholarships.
Elder abuse is a very prevalent problem throughout the nation. The problem, however, is drastically under reported. Many terrible cases are never addressed. The Department of Justice, Equal Justice Works and AmeriCorps, sought to address the problem of elder abuse. To that end, they partnered with host sites to create the Elder Justice Fellowship. There are only 25 such fellowships in the country, and there is only one (Warden) in the Deep South. In his capacity as Elder Justice Fellow, Warden will be working with the Advocacy Center of Louisiana to spot, prevent and remedy elder abuse, neglect and exploitation throughout the State.
More specifically, this fellowship aims to address the issue of elder abuse through litigation, informational events and training, and other forms of assistance. Derek will handle cases for clients who are 60 years of age or older. Theses cases will cover issues such a physical, emotional, mental or sexual abuse, financial exploitation and neglect. They will range from very simple to very complex cases; and they will involve individuals in supported independent living centers, in their own homes, or in the care of others.
