DICKINSON LAW PROFESSOR PEARSON DISCUSSES CHALLENGES TO CONSERVATORSHIPS FOR NEXT AVENUE NEWS ARTICLE
July 2021 — Professor Katherine Pearson was recently interviewed for a news article titled “How to Fix Conservatorship in America.” Written by award-winning journalist and author Chris Farrell, the article was featured on Next Avenue, a PBS digital platform that targets America’s booming 50+ population.
The article, available here, explores the public’s increasing interest in guardianship and conservatorship laws following the recent publicity surrounding musician Britney Spears’ ongoing 13-year conservatorship.
In addition to traditional research and writing for journals, often addressing financial issues related to aging, Professor Pearson is a co-author/editor for the Elder Law Prof Blog, a member of The Law Professors Blog Network.
Professor Katherine Pearson has deep experience in the field of elder law. She is the author of articles and book chapters on long-term care, financing issues, and filial obligations, and is the co-author of The Law of Financial Abuse and Exploitation (Bisel 2011)—a book about protection of vulnerable persons from financial exploitation. A former Fulbright Scholar (U.K., Queens University Belfast, 2010), Professor Pearson’s work includes international, comparative analysis of laws, and policies affecting older persons, including work as an international research consultant in the U.K. and Northern Ireland to promote better systems for safeguarding and adult social care.
Professor Pearson has served in leadership positions on national and state organizations for academics and attorneys specializing in elder law, including the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the AALS Section on Law and Aging, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association Elder Law Section. She was a member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Elder Law Task Force that issued an influential report. She currently is the Project Lead on a $500,000 Penn State Strategic Plan grant entitled The Pennsylvania Adult-Fiduciary Project: Developing Statewide Online Education in Support of Aging and Vulnerable Adults designed to develop resources for Pennsylvania judges. For more than ten years, she served as director of Penn State’s Elder Protection Clinic.