Commencing An Application For Guardianship: Lessons Learned From The Trenches

It seems that the past few months have been full of guardianship applications, each with their own nuances and challenges. After a brief moment of respite, I thought this would be a useful occasion to document some of the things I have learned along the way. Below are some tips “from the trenches”:

1. Give your Client a Realistic Timeline

Guardianship applications do not follow the typical roadmap of litigation, even if they are uncontested. Depending on your client, he or she may have little to no information about the alleged incapable person's finances or care needs. This means that you need to build in more time than usual to make inquiries with banks, healthcare providers, and family members.