Health Law During a Crisis

In times of crisis, Legal Aid lawyers fight harder than ever to get justice for our clients.

This week, Legal Aid attorney Stefanie Sparks helped Ms. Neale*, a woman with Stage IV cancer, complete an Advance Healthcare Directive. Through this process, Ms. Neale was able to arrange her end-of-life care and get her will in order for her loved ones. Although COVID-19 presented an extra barrier to this process as Stefanie and Ms. Neale could not meet in person, Stefanie knew how important these documents are to Ms. Neale’s peace of mind. They corresponded over email and phone calls to complete the forms together, and now Ms. Neale can rest a little easier knowing that her affairs are in order and her assets will go to their intended place. 

Stefanie is the Managing Attorney of the Health Law Unit at Legal Aid, where she manages a team of attorneys and paralegals who work on cases related to access to healthcare and illness-related legal problems. 

Stefanie and our other lawyers continue to work around the clock (safely from their homes), fighting to make sure our community members can stay in their homes, get the food their families need, and access essential benefits. Our intake staff opened over 200 new cases in the first week of our remote operation, and our lawyers and paralegals are partnering with agencies to do what we can to serve our clients during this difficult time. 

If you are able, a gift to Atlanta Legal Aid at this time will have a huge positive impact on our clients in the months to come. If you’d like to donate, please go to: https://atlantalegalaid.org/ways-to-give/ 

*name changed to maintain client confidentiality