Index of Articles From Paul Crockett

• Nation's High Court Issues Landmark Ruling on Federal Law and HIV (September, 1998)
• A Snapshot of an Epidemic in Flux: A Survey of Effective Legal Strategies For Survival in Changing Times (February, 1998)
  1. We Are Now Standing on Shifting Sands
  2. The Protease Shock Waves: An Early Report
  3. What Is "Disability" Today?
  4. Things to Consider If You Are Thinking About Going "Back to Work"
  5. The Runnebaum Decision: A Dark Cloud on the Horizon

• So You're Thinking About Going Back to Work (April, 1997)
• Your Insurers Are Not Necessarily Your Friends (March, 1997)
• Selling Your Life Insurance in Today's Market (March, 1997)
• HIV Law: A Survival Guide to the Legal System for People Living with HIV

Living well with HIV or AIDS can be a real struggle, and many of the most pressing and difficult issues arise as legal issues. People living with the disease are forced to navigate an intimidating legal system and to frequently make important decisions involving employment, benefits, insurance, discrimination, and other rights. In my law practice, I have advised hundreds of people living with HIV and assisted them in confronting the seemingly endless range of legal issues raised by the disease. In doing so, I have received calls from different parts of the country, and come to realize that, with a few notable exceptions, competent and sensitive legal representation on HIV-related issues is not generally available to the thousands in need of it. People are literally suffering, and I believe even dying, for a lack of understanding their rights.

My experience with HIV is not limited to my law practice. Although I am in very good health (currently on a regimen of AZT, 3TC, Viramune (Nevirapine), and Zovirax), I have been living with the virus for several years. As well as any of my clients, I understand the sinking feeling of watching T-cells drop, the fear of the unknown, and the very real adversarial tension that exists between those of us with HIV and our insurers. Like all of my clients, I have had to wrestle with the dilemmas posed by HIV in the legal context. At least thus far, I have come out on top by taking the time to understand the legal system and how to protect myself in it. I am committed to helping others do the same, thus reclaiming for themselves a measure of power and a better quality of life.

My life partner, hero, and soul mate, Scott Richard Gillen, succumbed to AIDS on March 1, 1996. A high school English teacher beloved by his colleagues and even by his students, he was forced by illness to retire at the age of 33 in 1993. He died three years later, having fought a good and hard battle against AIDS. Of all the accomplishments in my life, I am most proud of the way I took care of him, and that he was never forced to walk his difficult journey alone. In a very real way, every positive action I take is motivated by my love for Scott. In that sense, he is still with me.

In order to reach the larger national audience of people desperately needing information on the range of legal issues raised by HIV, I have written a book titled HIV Law: A Survival Guide to the Legal System for People Living with HIV, to be available from Crown Publishers (Trade Paperback, $12.95). Recognizing the high stakes of the issues involved, I have created a practical survival guide, designed to help arm the reader with the information necessary to understand the problems presented and to help successfully work the system. The book also includes an appendix of national, state, and local resources available to help guide the reader toward legal help for specific issues, or further information. Nothing like this book is currently available, and I am very proud of it. I hope you will find it helpful.