Law student honored by Elder Law Clinic

The Sixty Plus, Inc. Elderlaw Clinic, WMU-Cooley Law School’s live-client clinic serving Lansing area seniors age 60 or older, honored law student Jose G. Mancera with the Sixty Plus Elderlaw Board of Directors Award.

The award is given annually to a deserving student intern who, in the view of the board, has exemplified the highest professional standards of lawyering and demonstrated those attributes during that student’s term of engagement with the Sixty Plus, Inc., Elderlaw Clinic. Mancera served as a legal intern with the clinic September through December of 2017, and then continued as a volunteer through the following term.

“Jose has been very conscientious and attentive to his client’s every need and continued as a volunteer so that he could continue to help that elderly population,” said Gary Bauer, WMU-Cooley professor and clinical faculty member. “He has demonstrated tremendous intellect, but even more, he continuously displayed compassion and understanding of his client’s needs and does everything he can to meet those needs. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award.”

The Sixty Plus clinical experience enables students to interview, counsel, represent and advocate for actual clients, all of whom are age 60 and older who reside in Ingham, Eaton or Clinton counties.

Interns, who are closely supervised by the clinical faculty, proceed on behalf of clients in a wide variety of legal matters and activities, including arguing motions, negotiating with opposing counsel and conducting trials Under Michigan’s Student Practice Rule 8.120.

“Having the opportunity to take the details learned in the classroom and put them into practice has been very valuable,” said Mancera. “Face-to-face contact with live clients has been very fulfilling and meaningful for me.”

 The Estate Planning Clinic provides specific essential services with no-cost estate planning services, which include wills, trusts, medical directives, powers of attorney, deeds, probate of estates and guardianship oversight for the probate courts in those counties. This clinic has been providing legal services for seniors in the three counties surrounding Lansing for over 30 years.