Alison Hirschel

Michigan Poverty Law Program, Elder Law Attorney

I'm especially lucky to have always known what I wanted to do with my life and to have always been able to do it. As a child, I was drawn to older people because of the richness of their varied experiences and the courage and resignation with which they faced the inevitable losses of later life. Then, in high school, I volunteered in a nursing home and was simply appalled by the neglect I witnessed there. That experience, combined with my affinity for older people, galvanized me. I went to law school to be an advocate for the elderly and I have done that "and loved doing it" ever since.

I've worked on thorny legal, ethical, and policy issues including promoting quality, dignity and choice for long term care consumers; protecting the autonomy of older people caught in the state's guardianship system; health care decision-making at the end of life; abuse and exploitation of the elderly; and protecting the rights of Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries. As a public interest lawyer, I always try to identify the advocacy strategy and tools that will be most effective in achieving my clients' goals. My practice therefore involves individual and impact litigation, grassroots organizing, legislative and administrative advocacy, work with the media, collaboration with other advocates, and training of both consumers and professionals. Being able to engage in these varied activities ensures that I'm never bored and allows me to be creative and flexible.

Working with elderly clients has been deeply rewarding. Being able to help them at a time of crisis and vulnerability is a great privilege. Having the tools to correct injustice, empower clients, and improve their quality of life is a remarkable gift. And, in recent years, sharing stories of my work with my children has helped me teach them valuable lessons and assured them that when I leave them to go to work in the morning, it's because I'm doing something that matters.

I love working with law students contemplating public interest work and helping launch them on their own exciting public interest careers. I am delighted that the Public Interest/Public Service program gives me more opportunities to do that and I hope students will seek me out. I'll be delighted to hear from them.