American Judges Association
Date of this Version
2017
Citation
Court Review, Volume 53, Issue 2 (2017)
Abstract
In 2010, I became the presiding judge of the Cook County Elder Law Division. This short article chronicles my journey in taking the idea of an Elder Law Division and developing it into a workable unit of a multi-level court system.
THE CREATION OF THE ELDER LAW DIVISION
HE CREATION OF THE ELDER LAW DIVISION The Circuit Court of Cook County is the second largest unified court system in the world. The Hon. Timothy C. Evans, Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, took a bold step when he made a decision to establish not just elder-protection courts, but an Elder Law Division, dedicated to responding holistically to the legal needs and issues of seniors. Changing demographics dictated that the court system be able to respond to the rising group of baby boomers attaining the age of 65. The 691,000 persons aged 65 and over in Cook County at that time represented 13% of the population.
Comments
Copyright American Judges Association. Used by permission.