The term guardianship is referred to as legal guardianship, where a court appoints a legal guardian who can take care of another person. This guardian makes decisions and also assumes lawful responsibility on behalf of that person. A court grants the guardian the lawful authority to take very good care of his ward and his property and personal interests. Commonly, legal guardianship is used for developmentally disabled adults, senior citizens, and minor children. Some decisions that legal guardians are entrusted with comprise financial decisions, medical decisions, different legally binding decisions, and contract agreements.
The role of a guardianship attorney
Numerous people from all across the globe appoint guardians for their children so that they do not suffer if something unfortunate happens to them. A guardianship attorney helps people in forming a legal document, and it ensures that their children are taken good care of. Expert guardianship attorneys are experienced in guardianship law, and they help people form a plan that would be in the best interests of their children. These attorneys understand people’s situations and form a customized plan that meets their requirements well.
Kinds of guardianship
Guardians are legally appointed to make decisions on their ward’s behalf, and the award can be an adult or a minor child. Some popular kinds of guardians are:
- Full guardianship – It gives a guardian full control over the financial and personal affairs of his ward. In full guardianship, the guardian takes the authority to make every decision related to the welfare and care of his ward.
- Limited guardianship – Limited guardianship gives a guardian to make only some decisions on his ward’s behalf. These guardians are appointed to make his ward’s healthcare decisions, and who fails to do them himself/herself.
- Co-Guardianship – It is a guardianship where a couple of people are appointed to become a ward’s joint guardians. Commonly, this arrangement is utilized when the ward suffers from a medical condition for which he becomes disabled.
- Temporary guardian – Temporary guardians are appointed to make decisions on a ward’s behalf for a particular time. A temporary guardian is appointed if the ward needs to be hospitalized.
- Estate guardian – Estate guardians are appointed to manage the financial affairs of a ward. An estate guardian gets the authority to pay the bills of the ward, invest his money, and make different financial decisions on the ward’s behalf.
- Ad Litem guardian – A court appoints an Ad Litem guardian to represent a ward’s interests in legal matters. Commonly, ad litem guardians are utilized in cases of child custody or when someone tries to get guardianship orders for a person who can’t take part in different legal proceedings.
The process of becoming a legal guardian
The legal guardian of a person remains liable for his well-being. Again, he also makes decisions related to his financial, medical, and personal interests. The process of guardianship and the need to name a guardian differ based on state laws. Nonetheless, they are based on the fact of whether or not there is a lawful requirement for the person’s guardianship. A guardianship attorney advises guardians regarding a particular kind of welfare and legal decisions that they might need to make as legal guardians of their wards.