Fordham Law students recently joined a city-wide effort to provide lower-income older New Yorkers with needed estate planning services, including executing wills; setting up health care proxies, powers of attorney, and other advanced directives; and helping combat deed theft and other exploitative practices.
The initiative was organized by the City Council Speaker’s office with events in all five boroughs and serving nearly 150 New Yorkers.
The goal was to increase financial literacy and “address a pressing need for low-income, elderly New Yorkers to access valuable estate planning services,” said Angela DeVolld, director of public interest scholars and fellowships at the Public Interest Resource Center at Fordham Law.
“A standout highlight was seeing the impact this partnership had on individuals who often lack access to legal resources and being able to help them more confidently approach planning for big life transitions,” said DeVolld. “By working together with elected officials and legal services organizations, we were able to come together to help empower community members with an understanding of their options and the ability to protect their families and loved ones both in their wills and with other advanced planning tools.”
The event paired Fordham law students and volunteer attorneys with local community members in the Bronx to help them execute wills and set up health care proxies, powers of attorney, and other advanced directives. Six Fordham Stein Scholars, members of a honors program administered by Fordham Law’s Public Interest Resource Center to prepare students for public interest careers, volunteered at the Bronx event along with students from New York Law School and two NYLAG staff members.
“It was great working with people and listening to their stories,” said Sheena Qiao ’26, one of the students who participated in the project. “Even though estate planning involves asking personal questions, our client was really understanding and worked with us to tailor the planning to their needs.”
“I really enjoyed learning from my colleagues and getting to know my client,” added Qiao. “The experience also opened my eyes to financial issues I had never considered before, and I look forward to learning more as I go.”
Estate planning services for low-income New Yorkers is an “underserved, but necessary, area of public interest practice,” explained DeVolld.
“The resources and care available to elderly New Yorkers is sparse and underfunded across so many areas, including housing and public benefits, and being able to support them in this chapter of their lives is really meaningful,” she added. “Through this partnership, we hope to empower individuals to protect their families and have some peace of mind.”