If you or someone you love is losing competency and needs protection in matters related to personal and medical care, a conservatorship may be the solution. Learn how a Lexington attorney can offer professional conservatorship or guardianship services.
A conservatorship’s goals often involve protection and supervision for a loved one who is losing competency or has diminished mental capacity. A knowledgeable Lexington conservatorship attorney can help families determine if a conservatorship is the right solution and, if so, which type of conservatorship is right for each unique situation.
What Are Conservatorship and Guardianship?
A conservatorship is a proceeding in which a judge appoints a conservator—an individual or organization—to make decisions on behalf of someone unable to make decisions on their own due to illness, injury, or mental capacity. While a conservatorship often deals with all decisions, including financial, personal, and medical, a guardianship tends to focus on non-financial issues, such as medical directives.
Both a conservatorship and guardianship are court-appointed. The conservatorship often refers to adults, and, in most cases, guardianship refers to protection and supervision for minors.
There are four primary types of conservatorship:
- Conservatorship of estate: authority for management of finances
- Conservatorship of person: authority to manage personal lifestyle and health decisions
- Limited conservatorship: authority to make decisions for an adult with a disability, typically related to financial matters
- Joint Conservatorship: authority for two people to share the role of the conservator, such as siblings joining to help a parent
Why Consider a Conservatorship Attorney?
When a loved one is at risk of abuse, financial exploitation, or other issues threatening safety and well-being, an attorney with experience handling conservatorships can help. With the right structure and protective measures in place, a loved one with disabilities or medical issues, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, brain injury, or mental illness, will remain in the best care possible. A conservatorship attorney offers counsel and legal services to bring peace of mind to all parties involved while facilitating a higher quality of life for the loved one.
Call a Lexington Attorney for Conservatorship and Guardianship Services
If you or a family member requires an attorney who has in-depth knowledge of and experience in conservatorship and guardianship services, McCutchen McLean, LLC can offer the guidance you need. Our seasoned attorneys can also file petitions, objections, or oppositions to conservatorships. Contact our Lexington office today at 803-785-4529 to discuss how we can meet your needs.
