Young Lawyers Division helps lawyers help clients living with HIV/AIDS

From the moment of diagnosis, people living with HIV/AIDS are faced with an array of complex legal issues that can challenge even the most seasoned lawyer. Must they disclose their HIV status to their employer? What medical benefits are available to them? Can a same sex partner make healthcare decisions for them? What do they do if they encounter discrimination in employment, housing, medical care or public accommodation? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a referral to legal services is one of the first things that should be given when a person learns they are HIV positive.

If one of your clients came to you with such questions, would you be prepared to help them? Thanks to the ABA Young Lawyers Division and the ABA AIDS Coordinating Committee, lawyers can learn about the legal issues facing their clients who are living with HIV/AIDS and be prepared to offer them legal assistance. Answering the Call, a YLD national public service project, has created an "HIV Legal Check-Up" [PDF] lawyers can use to identify legal needs before they become problematic, and refer their client to appropriate community services. The check-up covers many of the common legal issues people with HIV/AIDS face, including privacy and confidentiality, discrimination, housing, immigration and insurance. It can be implemented in any community by lawyers from any area of practice.

"As lawyers, we are in a unique position to offer our professional services to people living with HIV/AIDS," said YLD Chair Christina Plum of Milwaukee. "Even if a lawyer cannot provide direct representation, there are other ways to provide assistance. Educating ourselves and our clients about the laws related to HIV/AIDS, especially those related to privacy, can go a long way towards reducing unnecessary firings, evictions and denials of care that directly impact the individual."

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