How do you start a guardianship? You come home for the holidays and see your Dad in person for the first time since last year.  You notice he is forgetful, and you fear for his safety since he lives alone. A friend tells you to become his guardian? What does it mean to become a…

A Minnesota Guardianship Attorney Explains What Guardianship Means Under Minnesota law, a Guardianship is a process by which a Court appoints someone to act as the surrogate decision-maker for an incapacitated person. Why is Guardianship needed? A guardianship may be needed for two different scenarios. Care of a minor child if there is no longer a person…

Under certain circumstances, a court may act and appoint a person who will be tasked with making personal decisions for a person found to be incapable of making these decisions on their own. The appointed person is referred to as a “guardian.” The position they have taken on is referred to as a “guardianship.” What…

Grappling with the thought that you might not be there to raise your children can be one of the most difficult and important things for you to process. The selection of a guardian for your children will help ensure that you trust the person who will care for your children and know that they will…

A Minnesota Guardianship Attorney Explains What It Means to be a Guardian. It’s that time of year when family is back together, maybe for the first time in months or years. In spending time with your Dad, you make the heart-wrenching discovery that he has become incapable of caring for himself. Perhaps he has difficulty…

A Minnesota Guardianship Lawyer Explains the Role of a Court Visitor in Guardianship Proceedings In order to assist with understanding how this may work, let’s use a hypothetical. Your aging father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He doesn’t have a Health Care Directive and he no longer has the capacity to sign one. You come…

Guardianships & Conservatorships and How to Avoid Them If a person becomes mentally or physically incapacitated to a point where they can no longer make rational decisions about their person or their finances, their loved ones may consider a guardianship or a conservatorship whereby a guardian would make decisions concerning the physical person of the…

Many people are confused by advance directives. They are unsure what type of directives are out there, and whether they even need directives at all, especially if they are young. There are several types of advance directives. One is a living will, which communicates what type of life support and medical treatments, such as ventilators…