How To Find An Elder Law Expert

 Elder law is still a developing branch of legal expertise. There are far fewer clearly recognized experts in the field than for other specialties such as divorce, which has been legislated and required legal attention for years. As the government recognizes elder law as a growing issue, the number of people seeking a litigation lawyer in elder law cases will only increase. Knowing what to look for in a good litigation attorney for elder law cases will help you find the best possible representation for your situation.

Qualification #1: They Must Be A Legal Litigation Lawyer

In order to practice within a particular state, a lawyer must pass a test specific to that state known as the Bar exam. Once he or she proves competency about the law, they are permitted to become a lawyer in that state. An important point to keep in mind is that passing the Bar exam in one state does not guarantee anything if the legal professional moves to another state. Your chosen attorney must have a current license valid in your state, or they are not allowed to represent you. This is not a matter of optional qualifications; this is absolutely mandatory, and something that everyone should know before seeking a lawyer for any purpose.

Qualification #2: They Should Have Knowledge Of Elder Law

This qualification is substantially more difficult to quantify than the requirement that they be a member of the Bar. Checking to determine whether or not they have a license is as simple as making some phone calls or possibly checking on the internet. Determining their area of expertise and the depth of their knowledge in that area takes a lot more effort. There are several ways you can approach this.

One way to find out is to ask questions of the litigation attorney themselves. You will want to have an in-depth conversation with your potential representative before hiring them no matter what specialty you are seeking. It is particularly important to vet a potential elder law specialist with care because the field is in a constant state of development. It is vital that a litigation attorney in this area be reading and maintaining knowledge about new laws as they change quite frequently.

You can also use Google to your advantage. The best litigation lawyer will probably go beyond merely following developments in his field. He'll be helping shape the conversation by writing opinion pieces, and perhaps even testifying about new laws that are being considered. A Google search for the name of an attorney should turn up information - just be careful to ascertain that it's the same person before you make any decisions.

Qualification #3: You Have To Feel Comfortable

This last qualification is one of the most important. You will be working with this litigation lawyer over the course of months, or perhaps even years in particularly complex cases. You want to know that they are going to give you the amount of time, energy, and focus that you deserve. If you are not completely confident about their devotion to helping you from day one, look elsewhere. Combine your own confidence with proven experience and membership in the Bar, and you have done all you can to ensure great representation

Individuals are legally permitted to own moon property under international law, say two legal scholars familiar with the ins and outs of space law, and the establishment of lunar property rights is necessary to provide financial resources for eventual lunar settlement.

According to authors Dave Wasser and Douglas Jobes of the Space Settlement Institute, the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 does not forbid nations from recognizing land claims made by private organizations that raise money to pay for future lunar exploration and settlement initiatives.

"Nations could recognize land ownership claims made by private space settlements without being guilty of national appropriation or any other violation of the Treaty," write Wasser and Jobes. Their report appears in a recent issue of the SMU Journal of Air Law and Commerce, published through Southern Methodist University.

One organization doing what Wasser and Jobes suggest is Lunar International www.incourt.co.uk. The company's system of selling lunar land claims to fund lunar exploration allows regular Earth-bound citizens to own moon property. Should the group succeed in its efforts, those who purchased land claims through Lunar International would enjoy full property rights to their slice of real estate on the moon.

"The sale of private property rights is the only realistic means through which mankind will explore and settle the moon," said Jackson James, president and chief moon officer of Lunar International. "It is not reasonable to assume that governments will ever be able to overcome political pressures to consistently allocate the necessary funding to such costly projects."

According to Wasser and Jobes, systems such as the one developed by Lunar International could spark massive private investment that would lead to the establishment of permanent lunar settlements. James agrees, noting that purchases of moon property through Lunar International have nearly tripled during the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. The company offers land claims to property on the moon in several geographic regions, including the famed Sea of Tranquility where man first stepped foot on the moon, starting at less than $20 an acre.

The system established by Lunar International is not unlike those used to colonize the United States a few centuries ago, said James.

"The people buying lunar land claims are today's pioneers," said James. "They dream about a better future for themselves and their children, and they understand the importance of developing settlements in space to protect us against Earth-bound catastrophes like nuclear war and radical climate change."