City Bar Justice Center’s Planning and Estates Law Project Announces Collaboration with the Mount Sinai Medical Legal Partnership

The City Bar Justice Center’s Planning and Estates Law Project (PELP) has announced a collaborative project with the Mount Sinai Medical Legal Partnership to connect Mount Sinai’s neediest patients with PELP lawyers.

PELP offers low-income New Yorkers free legal assistance with end-of-life planning, including the preparation and execution of wills, health care proxies, powers of attorney, and standby guardianships, and with the administration of estates. In addition to these services, the new partnership will provide social workers with resources to help their patients on personal planning and end-of-life legal matters.

“By offering expert assistance at no charge, our pro bono lawyers aim to relieve the burdens on these families as they deal with the emotionally taxing experience of hospitalization and other healthcare needs with Mount Sinai,” said Lynn Kelly, Executive Director of the Justice Center.

“All individuals and families, regardless of income, should be able to address the weighty topics surrounding end-of-life care properly and responsibly,” said Pamela Ehrenkranz, who founded PELP four years ago, chairs the PELP attorney panel, and is chair of the Trust and Estates practice at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

“This partnership with the Justice Center will enable us to serve Mount Sinai’s neediest patients by providing them with essential legal services,” said Beth Essig, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Mount Sinai Health System. “It’s our firm belief that providing this help will lead to better health outcomes for our patients.”

“We’re pleased to add these additional end-of-life services to our other programs, including special education, immigration, housing and transgender issues as we seek to treat the whole patient,” said Barbara Berger Opotowsky, President of the Mount Sinai Medical Legal Partnership.

Marisa Guerrero, Senior Project Coordinator of PELP, and Opotowsky will lead the collaboration.

About the City Bar Justice Center
The City Bar Justice Center increases access to justice by leveraging the resources of the New York City legal community. The Justice Center operates the city’s largest civil legal hotline and annually provides direct legal representation, information and advocacy to over 20,000 poor and vulnerable New Yorkers in areas including immigration, veterans assistance, homelessness, trusts and estates, cancer advocacy, and elderlaw.