At a legal conference on disability planning I once had a lawyer abruptly confront me and ask, “You see your law practice as some kind of religious thing, don’t you?”  He had visited our website at www.lawelderlaw.com and read some of the “Meet Our Team” bios and quotations.  He had seen that a fair number of our employees have expressed their Christian faith by choosing various Bible verses as their favorite quotations.

I am a Christ-follower. Part of what this means is that I hold myself accountable to act in a manner consistent with my beliefs—not always an easy task for any of us, but one towards which I will always strive.

I recently received Ronald Sider’s new book entitled I am Not a Social Activist: Making Jesus the Agenda.  Myron Augsburger’s preface praises Mr. Sider as he comments, “We share many convictions, especially believing that to be truly evangelical (sharing the Good News of God’s reconciliation with man through Christ) is to be committed to justice, equity, the poor, the oppressed, to peace, and to non-violence. As a disciple of Christ, an evangelical cannot harm or ignore one for whom Jesus died. In fact, a true evangelical will look at all persons as invited into a faith relationship with our Lord.”  Mr. Sider is a modern prophet who serves as a model and spokesman for the holistic view of Christianity which states that both faith and action consistent with the words of the bible are necessary to experience what is called “the abundant life.”  I am grateful for Ron Sider’s words and deeds, which have had a profound impact on both the Christian community and on me personally. I aspire to believe and to act in a consistent way with the “way of Christ.”

The book of James in the New Testament of the Christian Bible states that “…faith without works is dead.”  Our actions will show (or prove to others) the reality of our faith.  People act in accord with what they believe. I believe that we are called to live according to the Golden Rule.  Simply put, we are to first love God (recognizing that we are to submit to a “Greater Power”) and second, we are to take the initiative to act in a loving way toward other people (recognizing that serving others is more important than first serving ourselves).

As the lead attorney for Law ElderLaw, LLP, my goal is to lead in a manner that inspires respect from our team itself (both employees and consultants), our clients and their families, and our “adversaries” (the hard-working professionals of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Office of Inspector General, and Department of Human Services, commonly known as the “Medicaid Department”).  The bottom line for me is that I must lead and act authentically and consistently with the Golden Rule, to demonstrate both faith and action, and to:

1.    Love God; and
2.    Act in love to benefit others.

It’s not really a “religious thing” after all. Our law practice is focused on the issues of life, death (whether quick or lingering), disability, health care, caregiver support, estate planning, veterans benefits for the over 65, Medicaid, and healthy spouse survival issues. My work as the lead attorney of Law ElderLaw, LLP is a calling to practice law as “faith at work.”  This combination of faith and action improves lives on both sides of all of our relationships.

Rick

Note:  Team members are not required to share my Christian beliefs. However, each member of the team is expected to fulfill the Golden Rule by actions that honor both friend and adversary.

Cowboy Rick (on the right) in New Mexico

“R.W. Hampton.” (On the left)

Like most baby boomers, I grew up in the age of the TV-cinema-cowboy-hero. Through television, the good guys of the cinematic Old West rode, roped, and fought their way into our hearts and minds. We boomers were saturated with the “Code of the West.” Our heroes were simple and straightforward about their virtues—and it was always easy to recognize the Bad Guys.

The Bad Guys rustled stock from the honest folk. Bad Guys—some disguised as bankers and businessmen—misused their power and position to cheat good and hard-working citizens out of their homes, ranches, and livestock. Meanwhile the Good Guys wore white hats (with the exception of Hopalong Cassidy) and selflessly fought evil as they helped the poor, oppressed, innocent, and vulnerable.

When I first went to law school, I carried that “cowboy code” inside me. Like many idealistic law students, I imagined using my legal skills to fight injustice and protect the innocent—just as my heroes had done. But I soon found that real lawyering is seldom as glamorous and interesting as a TV show—so like most attorneys, I spent the better part of my first 25 years becoming very efficient and effective at moving mountains of real estate and tax documents for clients. It was not the work of a hero, but it paid the bills.

Without recognizing it, my legal career began to change in 2000. Due to the aging issues of my parents’ generation, I became a part of a “tribe” of lawyers who practice elder law. This is a niche legal practice that combines estate planning, taxation, health care, Medicare, Medicaid, elder abuse, and more to focus on assisting the frail elderly to achieve the goals of quality health care while avoiding needless impoverishment. Most of these elder law attorneys are boomers who have dedicated themselves to serving seniors and those who love them. Most of the men and women I have met through the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) have been touched by a loved one’s long-term illness or a disability. They strive selflessly and sacrificially to help the widow(er), the caregiver spouse/adult child, and the frail elderly.

To me, those elder law attorneys are the modern equivalent of Dale Evans, Roy Rogers, or Hopalong Cassidy. I am proud to have learned from them and to know them as colleagues and friends.

Years ago, when my wife I announced to her parents that we were expecting our first child, my father-in-law inquired innocently if it was okay to talk about someone being pregnant. He had been raised with rules that made that conversation out-of-bounds. My, how things have changed! These days we need only to turn on the TV to be subjected to conversations about PMS or flagging male libido.

In this time when “anything goes,” I have been surprised to find that there are still some taboos. As an elder law attorney, I facilitate discussions about life, death, and disability—not an easy task because nobody really wants to talk about his or her own death.

Oh sure, people can consider that they are probably going to die…someday. But in their heart of hearts most people can’t believe that they are actually going to die. How else do you explain the fact that 85% of the adult population are without a simple will, power of attorney, or health care directive?  The most obvious answer is that they must not truly believe that they’re going to die.

Although it’s difficult, I recommend that you take the time during the upcoming holidays and family gatherings to have what we call the Final Arrangement Conversation with your family.  A Final Arrangement Conversation should have at least two distinct elements:

1. A written expression of your attitudes and desires for life-prolonging treatment (or lack thereof) in the event that you are incapacitated, have been diagnosed as being terminally ill, or are suffering from a long-term memory-robbing illness; and
2. A written expression of your attitudes, desires, expectations, payment source, etc. regarding your final wishes–how your family should handle your funeral, burial, cremation, religious tradition, probable cost, music, choices of service providers, etc.

When I begin this conversation with clients and their families,  I almost always run into resistance. Seniors (even terminally ill seniors) often say, “I don’t care. Funerals are for the living, so do whatever you want.” But families really want to know how their loved ones feel about these issues. When seniors choose to talk about it, they often find it very meaningful to share their expectations. Once we overcome this conversational taboo, the discussion almost always ends with a hug.