John Craft, clinical associate professor of law at Faulkner Law, was awarded the 2022 Public Interest Attorney Award at the Alabama State Bar’s 145th annual meeting.
The award, presented by the Alabama State Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program, was given in recognition of Craft’s pro bono efforts in the area of elder law.
Craft, a graduate of Auburn University’s Jones School of Law, serves as the Elder Law Clinic director at Faulkner’s School of Law. Prior to joining the Faulkner faculty and starting the Elder Law Clinic at the school, he practiced in Montgomery. He represented senior citizens and their families on elder law matters. This included estate planning, probate, Medicaid, veterans’ benefits and nursing home litigation.
He also served as chair of the Elder Law Section of the Alabama State Bar and provided countless hours to train lawyers and judges throughout Alabama.
While serving the Alabama Interagency Council for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, he helped draft two statutes, according to a release. The first was Protecting Alabama’s Elders Act, which provides specific criminal penalties for elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. The second was The Elder Abuse Protection Order and Enforcement Act, providing civil restraining orders for victims of elder abuse.
Terri Lovell, the Alabama State Bar executive director, stated of the award recipient, “John Craft is very deserving of this award. Not only have we all benefited from his contributions to improve elder law, but the public has benefited from his pro bono services.”
Craft continues the tradition of pro bono services through the Elder Law Clinic at Faulkner University at which Montgomery-area seniors are provided assistance with the following legal services from his students: preparing basic wills, living wills and powers of attorney; providing representation during guardianship and conservatorship proceedings; and assisting victims of elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation.
This clinic has served thousands in the Montgomery area.
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