Why Choose Sykes Elder Law

Reputation

Apart from an occasional ad in a community magazine or sponsored Facebook post, we do almost no advertising. You won’t see us in a TV ad, hear us on the radio, or see our picture on a billboard.

We don’t have to. Most of our new clients come from referrals.

Our largest source of work is returning clients, followed by those referred by our clients. Next is referrals from other professionals – financial advisors, accountants, social workers, and nursing home professionals who trust us with referrals of their own clients.

Perhaps the greatest compliment to Mr. Sykes’ reputation is that a significant number of referrals come from other attorneys. His standing in the legal community makes him a favorite choice of attorneys looking to refer their own clients to someone who will get the job done right.

Attorney Andrew Sykes’ reputation in the legal community has resulted in years of service as a leader and educator. He currently serves as a member of the governing council of the Elder Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Since 2002, he has taught other lawyers at the annual Elder Law Institute, Pennsylvania’s premier event for continuing legal education in elder law. Mr. Sykes has been asked to serve as course planner for numerous elder law seminars put on by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the educational wing of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. For the National Elder Law Foundation, he has taught attorneys studying for the CELA (Certified Elder Law Attorney) examination.

Personal Service

The advantage of a small boutique elder law practice is that your matter will be handled by Mr. Sykes himself – you won’t be directed to a junior partner or lower-level associate. Become a client and you will receive the full benefit of Mr. Sykes’ experience and legal insight.

Sykes Elder Law is the only firm in the Pittsburgh area in which the only attorney in the firm is a certified elder law attorney with 25 years of experience in private practice.

For this reason, you may have to wait several weeks for an initial appointment in a routine matter. In some months, all of our slots for initial appointments have been filled by the time the month begins. We save some slots for emergency cases, so don’t be deterred if you have a matter that requires immediate attention. Some clients are also permitted to receive expedited service for an additional fee.

Once you become a client, you will find that your matter is handled efficiently and your calls returned promptly. Our reputation was earned one client at a time.

Decades of Experience

Andrew Sykes took the oath as a member of the Pennsylvania bar in 1989, after graduation with honors from Ohio State University’s College of Law (Ohio’s top-ranked law school), where he served on the law review and won the American Jurisprudence Award. He has served clients in private practice for well over two decades and was one of the early pioneers of elder law in Western Pennsylvania.

Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA)

Andrew Sykes has been certified as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation, a designation that has been approved by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and accredited by the American Bar Association as meeting its standards on reliable certification of specialty designations.

He is one of only 65 attorneys in Pennsylvania to achieve this designation.

Certified Elder Law Attorney CELA

To become a CELA, an attorney must meet rigorous requirements. One must meet a years-of-service requirement, demonstrate the handling of various types of elder law matters, pass a demanding written examination, and show high standards of competence and ethics (as attested to by knowledgeable peers). Every five years, re-certification is required.

Read Why You Need a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation.

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