If you’re a patient at Duke Cancer Center in North Carolina, you will get an added benefit: free legal assistance. That’s because Duke Law School provides the service through their Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono. Services include drafting legal documents, such as a power of attorney, healthcare power of attorney, living will, and HIPAA release forms.
The student-led group is now called the Health Care Planning Project. Duke law students, under the direction of a licensed attorney, work with the cancer center to provide pro bono legal assistance to patients. When faced with a diagnosis of cancer, many patients find they have not adequately planned for a future that may include an inability to oversee one’s personal affairs.
A power of attorney allows a designated individual the authority to make arrangements and pay bills on behalf of another. Drafting a power of attorney is just one of many legal services Duke offers. Extended legal services are also offered by Duke law students through the Duke Law HIV and Cancer Legal Project. The project also serves clients other than those who are patients at the Cancer Center. The project will take applications from any low-income North Carolina resident interested in advance care planning. For more information: e-mail [email protected] or call 919.613.7169.