Dementia capability for the legal profession: identifying attributes through a qualitative study with lawyers, people living with dementia and their support persons

As dementia prevalence increases, lawyers play a critical role in supporting legal planning, safeguarding rights and enabling decision-making for people living with cognitive impairment. Despite policy emphasis on dementia-capable workforces, little empirical research has examined what dementia capability means for the legal profession. This qualitative study developed a research-informed framework of dementia-capable attributes for lawyers, drawing on perspectives from legal practitioners, people living with dementia and their support persons. Using a two-round modified Delphi approach, we conducted in-depth interviews followed by an online survey with 39 participants across Australia. Qualitative content analysis identified five core attribute domains: knowledge; legal rights and risks; capacity; communication; and advocacy. Participants emphasised strengths-based approaches, the distinction between diagnosis and decision-making capacity, the centrality of respectful and supportive communication, and the need to balance ethical obligations with commercial and professional pressures. Dementia capability was characterised as aspirational but achievable along a continuum, with implications for professional education, standards and service design. The findings demonstrate that dementia-capable legal practice benefits not only clients with dementia diagnoses but all clients planning for future incapacity, supporting a universal design approach to legal services. The framework provides an empirical foundation for training, accreditation and reform within the legal profession.