Attorney Dedicated to Stopping Elder Abuse Wins ‘Genius Grant’

Marie-Therese Connolly is one of this year’s winners of a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship known as the “genius grant.” Connolly is a former Department of the Justice attorney who was at the forefront when it came to drafting the Elder Justice Act that Congress passed last year. Connolly has dedicated her career to combating elder abuse.

During the Clinton administration, when news of nursing home abuse scandals broke, Connolly was named director of the newly formed Elder Justice and Nursing Home Initiative at the Department of Justice. During that time, Connolly developed new investigation and legal strategies that closed loopholes in the federal statutes. Connolly also founded Life Long Justice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping stop elder abuse.

See Lawyer at Forefront of Fight Against Elder Abuse Wins MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant, Elder Law Answers, Sep. 22, 2011.