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Attorneys as Healthcare Advocates: The Argument for Attorney-Prepared Advance Healthcare Directives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2022

Grace W. Orsatti
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Abstract

Attorneys regularly prepare advance healthcare directives for their clients. However, attorneys, lacking medical knowledge, are often considered ill-equipped to prepare such documents. While recognizing and respecting the fact that advance healthcare directives pertain to decisions about medical care, this article proposes that attorneys who prepare advance healthcare directives nevertheless provide a valuable service.

Keywords

Advance care planningAdvance DirectivesMedical-LegalLawEnd of Life
Type
Independent Articles
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 50 , Issue 1: Health Law and Anti-Racism: Reckoning and Response , Spring 2022 , pp. 157 - 168
Copyright
© 2022 The Author(s)

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The author is the Director of the Duquesne University School of Law Wills & Healthcare Decisions Clinic and Pro Bono Program. As of the time of writing, law schools offering estate planning clinics or externships programs included but are not limited to the following: Columbia Law School Trusts, Wills and Estate Planning Externship, Cornell Law School Estate Planning Clinic, University of Alabama Elder Law Clinic, University of Denver, Sturm College of Law Wills Lab, University of Iowa College of Law Estate Planning Project, University of Pittsburgh Elder Law Clinic, Vanderbilt Law School – Geriatric Clinic Medical Legal Partnership Practicum, and Georgetown Law School Health Justice Alliance.Google Scholar
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