Benjamin Tilghman serves as a Staff Attorney for the Philadelphia project, “Keeping Elder Veterans and L.E.P. [Limited English Proficient] Victims S.A.F.E.”. The project provides direct legal services to Philadelphia’s veteran and LEP residents who have been the victims of elder abuse and/or financial exploitation. Ben will be working with the project team to collaborate with community organizations to expand our services to the LEP community, specifically the city’s various Asian American communities, and to continue to serve elder veterans. Ben is responsible for advising senior clients, representing clients in court and providing community outreaches regarding our services.
Prior to SeniorLAW Center, Ben collaborated extensively with the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania (FJD) on LEP issues, helping to fulfill Department of Justice requirements by researching and co-producing the FJD’s Language Access Plan. In addition, he wrote a successful $75,000 federal grant proposal for the FJD to address LEP issues. In 2012, he served as Research Team Leader for the United Way Ethics Task Force which provided an extensive overview and recommendations to the School Reform Commission of the School District of Philadelphia. After graduating from Rutgers Law in 2013, he worked in the chambers of the Honorable Ida Chen of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, as a law clerk for the Honorable Karen Shreeves-Johns of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, and as a litigator for Ruthrauff and Associates, P.C.
Ben comes to us with a passion for the intersections of truth, justice, civil rights and the law. Through SeniorLAW Center, he is able to use that passion to serve some of the most vulnerable members of society in their time of need.