Displaying items by tag: Fellows
Fellow Presents on Aging Behind Bars
Alyssa Gordon, a Borchard Fellow hosted by the ACLU National Prison Project, is a guest panelist with Aging Behind Bars a special discussion hosted by the Consulate General of Canada in New York. Here is information provided by the Consulate:
Over the last 30 years, the number of aging and elderly people incarcerated in the United States has grown fivefold. The segment of incarcerated people aged 55 and older is one of the fastest growing groups in prison, and the costs of incarcerating the sick and elderly is high. But what does it really mean when we talk about the greying of the US prison population, and what does it mean to grow old behind bars? What options do consular officials have to help our nationals in this situation? In America, at both the state and federal levels, there are legal processes that allow eligible inmates to be considered for early release on humanitarian grounds. The criteria can include age and illness, among other considerations. This type of sentencing reduction has many names – compassionate release, medical parole or furlough, exceptional parole to name a few. But how does someone access these processes? How does compassionate release work here for non-US citizens?
Join Canada’s Consular Services at a panel discussion hosted at the Consulate General of Canada in New York on March 21st from 2:00 pm EST to 3:30 PM EST to hear from legal and academic experts on the impacts of aging in prison, and gain a deeper understanding of the legislative and administrative environment around compassionate release. This conversation aims to help consular officials learn about the effects of aging in prison in the USA, how compassionate release works in different jurisdictions and how it can impact foreign nationals. Connect with organizations and other consular officials to strengthen partnerships, develop procedures and identify resources for your consular clients.
Featuring guest speakers:
o Elizabeth Blackwood – Counsel & Director of the First Step Act, National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
o Alyssa K. Gordon – Borchard Fellow in Law and Aging, American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project
o Dr. Shivani Kaushik – Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Florida International University
o Mary Price – General Counsel, FAMM
o Rita Vargas Torregrosa – Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of Mexico in New York
Moderated By:
Sabrina Yoong
Consul for Canadian Citizen Services, Emergency Management & Security
Consulate General of Canada in New York
To register for this event, go to:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aging-behind-bars-tickets-811740707307?aff=oddtdtcreator
Rachel Gershon Joins Justice in Aging
Former Borchard Fellow in Law & Aging Rachel Gershon joined the health team at Justice in Aging in the fall of 2023. Her focus is on improving the experiences of low-income adults enrolled in Medicare, including more affordable medications, smoother enrollment for those leaving incarceration, and navigating both Medicaid and Medicare. Rachel returns to Justice in Aging after having served as a Borchard Foundation Law and Aging fellow with Justice in Aging and Whitman Walker Clinic in 2010. Congratulations, Rachel!
Julie Gilgoff is Associate Professor at Indiana University
Julie Gilgoff, a former Borchard Fellow in Law & Aging, is an associate professor at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law of Indiana University in Indianapolis. Julie teaches property law, trusts and estates, and elder law. Congratulations, Julie!
Former Fellow Leads Minnesota Olmstead Implementation
Aisha Bierma Elmquist, a 2007-2008 Borchard Fellow, is the new director of the Minnesota Olmstead Implementation Office. Aisha has extensive experience in advocating for the legal rights of older persons with disabilities. As a fellow, she worked with the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis where she represented elderly clients who experienced housing discrimination because of their disabilities. She takes on her new role after most recently serving as the Minnesota deputy Ombudsman for Long-Term Care. Congratulations, Aisha!
Welcome to 2023-2025 Borchard Fellows in Law & Aging
The Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation Board of Directors are delighted to announce the 2023-2025 Borchard Fellows in Law & Aging. They are Alyssa Gordon and Anne Rodriguez-Webb who will begin their fellowships in September, 2023. Congratulations!
Alyssa Gordon will be hosted by the ACLU National Prison Project where she will focus on harnessing underutilized compassionate release laws to help elderly incarcerated people secure early release and better promote decarceration efforts nationwide. Alyssa’s priorities will also include improving prison health care, eliminating violence and maltreatment, and increasing oversight and accountability in places of detention in America.
Anne Rodriguez-Webb will be working with Housing and Economic Rights Advocates (HERA) where she will lead a project extending the organization’s estate planning services to mono- and limited-lingual Spanish speaking clientele in Southern California. Anne’s goal is to offer equal access estate planning to Spanish speaking communities.
Since the fellowship program began in 1999, the Center on Law & Aging has provided up to three one-year fellowships a year to encourage the development of new lawyers embarking on a career in law and aging. Starting in the fall of 2022, the fellowships were expanded to two-year terms with the goal of providing substantial support and guidance to new lawyers dedicated to advocating for the legal rights of and improving the quality of life for older adults, including those who are poor or otherwise isolated by language, culture, lack of education, disability, or other barriers.
Our current fellows--Christian Abbott and Valerie Snow--are doing amazing work. They will continue as fellows through September, 2024.
Please join in welcoming these two wonderful new advocates for older adults to our ranks as Borchard Fellows.
Call for Applications to 2023-2025 Fellowships in Law & Aging
Two two-years fellowships in law and aging are available for 2023-2025. The online application is available between March 1, 2023 and April 3,2023. Interested applicants should submit the required online application by April 3, 2023. See our web page on the fellowships and our online application.
Former Fellow Teaches Elder Law
Former Borchard Fellow Julie Gilgoff starts in the fall semester of 2022 as Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at Duquesne University's Thomas R. Kline School of Law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she will teach property law and elder law. Julie writes on housing policy issues for older adults and other housing issues.
Former Fellow Joins Justice in Aging
Jennifer (Jenny) Kye, a former Borchard Fellow, joined recently the Washington, D.C. office of Justice in Aging where she holds the position of Senior Attorney with the economic security team. Her work focuses on federal housing and public benefits advocacy to address rising homelessness among older adults. Jenny was previously a supervising attorney at Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. (CLASI) in Delaware, a combined legal aid and Protection & Advocacy agency where she handled fair housing and public benefits matters. Before CLASI, she worked as a staff attorney at the Pennsylvania Health Law Project and Community Legal Services of Philadelphia (CLS). At CLS, she also served as a Borchard Fellow in Law & Aging and advocated for expanding low-income seniors' access to Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services.
