Coming out of law school, it’s not uncommon to have clients who are a generation or two older than oneself. A large part of my practice is drafting Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Trust Deeds, so I work with older adults a lot. Here are some tips about working with older clients I’ve learned in my first few years of being a lawyer.
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Ageism cuts both ways
When I first started out, I definitely got a few looks from older clients. One even addressed it directly. “I was nervous when I first saw you because you’re pretty young, but after speaking with you, I’m reassured that you know what you’re doing.” Just as you may be tempted to make assumptions about a client before speaking with him or her, he or she might be doing the same for you. Remember, never judge a book by its cover!
Keep an open mind when meeting with all clients, but particularly older ones. Just because someone may have physical weakness doesn’t mean that he or she isn’t intelligent, funny or insightful. I’ve met people in their 50s who are already showing signs of cognitive impairment, and people in their 90s who still do their own taxes and easily finish crosswords that scare me!
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