In early April, as the COVID-19 crisis was reaching a peak in New York and Pennsylvania, the SeniorLAW Center, whose mission is to protect the rights of older Pennsylvanians, reached out to DLA Piper for assistance in preparing a research memo on COVID-related scams and fraud targeting the elderly and targeted flyers in plain English to inform the elderly population of ways to protect themselves.

Tomasita Sherer and Edwin Cortes (both New York) spearheaded the project and worked with a key client of the firm, General Electric. General Electric's Senior Counsel and Head of Ethics & Compliance, GE Healthcare Pharmaceutical Diagnostics, Christian Krautkramer, worked on the project with the DLA Piper team.

The research memo is a detailed assessment of COVID-19 issues facing Pennsylvania seniors and their families. The assessment includes an analysis of the situation to date, applicable law, enforcement and key takeaways. In addition, applicable website and contact information for responsible federal agencies was also provided.

The feedback from SeniorLAW Center couldn’t have been more positive. Upon receiving the memo, the Director of Pro Bono Action, Renee Chenault Fattah stated, "I just made a quick run through of the memo and Wow! It is more comprehensive and helpful than I dare hoped. What a wealth of information we can use for our one page information flyers."

"The project was a win-win-win," said Tomasita. "In partnering with GE, we were able to contribute and make a difference during this global pandemic by working together to help SeniorLAW Center help the elderly population that they serve. It was a fantastic experience for all."

For more information on SeniorLaw Center, please visit https://seniorlawcenter.org/.