Elder Law Field Placement Program

Students are eligible to apply for the Elder Law Field Placement Program after successful completion of their first year of law school. Students earn 3 credit hours per semester and can participate in either the fall or spring semester. Students can also choose to participate for both semesters.

Elder Law Field Placement student application (.pdf)

Clinic Hours time sheet (.pdf)

The University of Kansas Elder Law Field Placement class/clinic provides free civil legal services to Kansas residents age 60 and over, regardless of income. Because clients are not restricted by income, and due to the wide variety of case types the externship accepts, it approximates the general practice of law. Representative case types include: planning for incompetency, surrogate decision-making, guardian/conservatorship, simple estate planning, probate law and procedure, landlord/tenant, consumer protection, collection defense and Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, elder abuse and long-term care issues.

Due to the nature of the work and level of supervision, this clinic is only open to 2L and 3L students. You are encouraged to enroll in the Elder Law Externship (LAW 901) in both the fall and spring semesters consecutively, but it cannot be taken for more than a total 6 hours of credit. However, students may enroll in only one semester and can take it for a total 6 hours of credit during that one semester. Thus, the Elder Law Externship is basically a 3-hour course each semester, but hours can differ each semester and can be structured according to a student's needs. Taking the "Introduction to Elder Law" class is encouraged, but not required.

"Class component:" The class sessions will meet for 5 weeks. The "class component" is taught by Thomas Lasley, adjunct faculty at KU Law and attorney at Kansas Legal Services. Professor Lasley retired from the private practice of law in 2016 with 40 years of experience in Estate Planning and Elder Law.

"Clinic component:"

(a). The clinic placements will be working out of the Topeka or Kansas City, Kansas, office of Kansas Legal Services, Inc. (It is possible to arrange an internship at KLS offices in Emporia, Manhattan or Wichita, if a student is interested in those placements.) You will be expected to arrange for your own transportation to your placement office. We intend to honor requests for assignment to a particular office as much as possible but reserve the right to make assignments consistent with our need to manage the externship effectively.

(b). You must keep regular office hours in your assigned office, an average of 8 hours per week. At each of these sites, you will be directly supervised by an attorney working with elder clients. You must complete at least 127.5 hours of on-site internship work each semester, for 3 hours credit. This means about 16 days of work, 8 hours a day. Students need a code for enrollment approval, so a completed application is required. Because we are putting you in contact with clients, we want to know a little about you. There is no deadline for enrollment, but there is limited enrollment. If you have any questions or special problems related to application for or enrollment in the Elder Law Externship, please contact: Thomas Lasley, Kansas Legal Services, lasleyt@klsinc.org.

(c). Calculation of Clinic Credit Hours: Depending upon demand, this class is offered in both the fall and spring semesters and students may take it each semester. Credit hours range from a minimum of 2 hours up to a maximum of 6 hours per semester; however, students are only allowed to take this class up to a maximum of 6 hours combined for both semesters, or a maximum of 6 hours in one semester. During the first semester the student takes this class, the student must take it for a minimum of 3 hours of credit. A student will only be allowed to take the class for 2 hours of credit after having first taken it for 3 hours the prior semester. Pursuant to ABA standards, neither class time nor travel time counts towards credit.

A listing of credit hours for required hours of work is as follows:

(1) For 2 hours of credit, a student must work a total 85 hours of clinic time. Again, a student will only be allowed to take the class for 2 hours of credit after having first taken it for 3 hours the prior semester. A student cannot take this class for 2 hours during the first semester of taking this class. Pursuant to ABA standards, neither class time nor travel time counts towards credit.

(2) For 3 hours of credit, a student must work a total of 127. 5 hours of clinic time. During the first semester the student takes this class, the student must take it for a minimum of 3 hours of credit. Pursuant to ABA standards, neither class time nor travel time counts towards credit.

(3) For 4 hours of credit, a student must work a total of 170 hours of clinic time. Pursuant to ABA standards, neither class time nor travel time counts towards credit.

(4) For 5 hours of credit, a student must work a total of 212.5 hours of clinic time. Pursuant to ABA standards, neither class time nor travel time counts towards credit.

(5) For 6 hours of credit, a student must work a total of 255 hours of clinic time. Pursuant to ABA standards, neither class time nor travel time counts towards credit.

In working with the supervising attorney at KLS, students will learn how to do the following:

(1) Use their interrogaion skills in talking directly with applicants and clients who are 60 years or older to determine exactly, in detail, the nature of that person's legal problems.

(2) Communicate effectively with clients face to face and in writing.

(3) Develop skills in analyzing a legal problem, as presented by an actual client, develop legal strategies to assist with the legal problem, communicate those to the client and provide legal representation as appropriate.

(4) Attend site visits with Professor Lasley to meet face to face with applicants/clients.

(5) Use a case management system to record services provided to clients and keep time records.

(6) Learn about the practical aspects of representing and dealing with clients and the practice of law.

Tom Lasley was a partner at two distinguished law firms in Kansas City, Missouri, where his practice primarily involved Elder Law, Estate Planning, Probate and Real Estate law. During that time, his career case involved successfully representing a whistleblower in a national Medicare Fraud matter (known as a Qui Tam case) where, after five years in litigation, the whistleblower ultimately shared with the Federal Government in a multi-million dollar recovery and recoupment of Medicare fraud proceeds from a medical provider. He retired from the private practice in 2016 and since 2018, he has been supervising Elder Law attorneys at the Kansas Legal Services office in Kansas City, Kansas, where among his many duties, he has supervised and mentored numerous interns under the KU Law School Elder Law Field Placement Program. He is licensed to practice law in both Missouri and Kansas and he is the author of a chapter entitled "Will Contests" for the Missouri Bar CLE regarding its reference book on Estate Administration. For the city of Mission Hills, Kansas, he has been a member of its Planning Commission, a member and Chairman of its Board of Zoning Appeals and a City Councilman. His first semester as an adjunct professor for law 901, Elder Law Field placement was spring semester, 2023.

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