Center for Disability and Elder Law provides free legal services to low-income seniors and people with disabilities in Cook County, focusing on financial stability, housing, estate planning, divorce, and guardianship issues.

Center for Disability and Elder Law

Center for Disability &amp; Elder Law | 932 followers on LinkedIn. CDEL provides quality pro bono legal services to Cook County, Illinois low-income seniors and adults with disabilities. | The Center for Disability &amp; Elder Law (CDEL) was founded to provide legal services to low income residents of Cook County, Illinois who are either elderly or who have permanent disabilities. Studies report that more than eighty percent (80%) of all low income individuals are unable to obtain legal representation, and that all of those who live in poverty will experience at least one legal problem each year.

The need for legal assistance and services on the part of these clients has increased dramatically over the past ten years and continues to grow.

Innovative and dynamic business, legal and operations leader, strategist, trusted advisor and change agent for Fortune 50 companies and growth minded…

William J. Daley

Founder | Brand Builder | Business Strategist

Allison Disney

Senior Attorney

Cheryl Lipton

Executive Director at Center for Disability & Elder Law

Caroline Manley

Center for Disability & Elder Law

Please welcome Lena Gerstle (she/her) to CDEL’s Team! Lena is CDEL’s Community Outreach and Volunteer Mobilization AmeriCorps VISTA. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Kalamazoo College in 2022. Lena on why she is excited to join CDEL: “I’m very ecvited to join CDEL’s great team! CDEL does such important work in Chicago, and I’m happy to do my part to get the word out about what services CDEL can provide.” Learn more about Lena and CDEL’s other team members at our website: https://lnkd.in/gyjdeqqq

There is still time to run with CDEL in the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon! Don’t delay! The first round of applications close on November 21st after which the fundraising minimum will go up from $1500 to $2100. Learn more about fundraising requirements and application details by emailing CDEL’s Development Associate, Alyssa York at ayork@cdelaw.org . We can’t wait to have you on our team!

CDEL is honored to celebrate Veteran’s Day! CDEL is proud to say that 9% of our clients this year have been veterans. Please join us in thanks and gratitude for the CDEL clients and friends who are veterans as well as for all the veterans who have served our country.

Thank you to our October pro bono and community partners! Thank you to our October pro bono partners: Accenture ; Kirkland & Ellis LLP; Pro Bono Network , Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates ; and State Farm Insurance Companies. Thank you to our community partners: Bloom Township Senior Services; BUILD Chicago ; Center on Halsted on Addison; Chicago Police District 22; Dolton Park District; EZRA Multi-Service Center; Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation; HANA Center; Pathlights; Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center; Solutions for Care ; University of Chicago Law School ; and Chicago Methodist Senior Services West Suburban Senior Services.

Please welcome Mike Wyne (he/him) to CDEL’s team! Mike is the Finance and Operations Director at CDEL. He attended the University of Notre Dame and earned a degree in Accounting with magna cum laude distinction. He also earned a Masters in Business Administration from New York University with magna cum laude distinction. Mike on why he is excited to join CDEL: "I’m thrilled to join the CDEL team because I have so much to learn from them. I can’t wait to gain exposure to the unique way that CDEL approaches the legal aid community. Then I hope that I can apply knowledge that I’ve gained from the business community to make a small contribution to the organization’s success." Learn more about Mike Wyne and CDEL’s other staff members at our website: https://lnkd.in/gyjdeqqq

CDEL is always happy to celebrate with The Chicago Bar Foundation and The Chicago Bar Association for Pro Bono Week!

CDEL's Young Professionals Board (YPB) is still accepting applications for new members! Applications close this Thursday, October 31st. You can learn more and apply at CDEL's website: https://lnkd.in/gHqRHKUS

Yesterday, CDEL closed out a week of #ProBonoWeek celebrations at The Chicago Bar Foundation ’s annual Pro Bono & Community Service Fair at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates . CDEL’s Legal Director Michael Stone was joined by CDEL Senior Attorney Cheryl Lipton and Finance and Operations Director Mike Wyne to table and spread the word about CDEL’s volunteer opportunities. You can learn more about CDEL’s volunteer opportunities at CDEL’s website: https://lnkd.in/exZMCbg

CDEL Senior Attorney Cheryl Lipton held a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) course for volunteers from State Farm about Power of Attorney (POA) documents ahead of this afternoon's POA workshop for seniors at the HANA Center's MooGoong Terrace in Chicago. Pro bono volunteers are instrumental in staffing our workshops and clinics in the community for our clients. CLE's are professional development courses all lawyers must take to expand their expertise and stay current on new laws and legal developments throughout their careers, CDEL holds these courses ahead of every workshop for CDEL's pro bono volunteers and attorneys who will be volunteering to set them up for success and give them all the tools they need to best serve CDEL's clients. Thank you to the State Farm volunteers and to CDEL Young Professionals Board member Maya W. for learning and volunteering with CDEL and for celebrating the spirit of pro bono with us during #ProBonoWeek !

Yesterday, the CDEL Community Clinics team ( Tiffany Clements , Marlo Maria Pahl , and Kaitlyn Rubinstein ) took CDEL Pro Bono Network (PBN) site manager volunteers out to lunch in celebration of #ProBonoWeek and all the wonderful work PBN does for CDEL! Every month, volunteers from PBN staff CDEL’s Pathlights , Solutions for Care , West Suburban Senior Services ( Chicago Methodist Senior Services ), and BUILD Chicago community clinics as well as two telephone clinics each month. We are so grateful for the dedication and support of Pro Bono Network and all its volunteers!

CDEL

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Center for Disability and Elder Law

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