ESTATE & TRUSTS DEPARTMENT   |   Guardianships

In certain unfortunate cases, an adult loses or fails to possess the capacity to manage his or her own daily affairs and make decisions affecting his or her own assets and life decisions. In these cases, a Court is often asked to appoint another person as a guardian with the legal authority to make and implement financial, legal, medical and other important decisions affecting the life and well-being of the incapacitated person.

Our Guardianships Practice Area attorneys provide a full range of services for clients involved in situations in which a loved one has become incapacitated, whether by a physical disability or cognitive impairment such as dementia. We prepare and file petitions to have a person appointed as the Guardian of an incapacitated person for general or for specific purposes and for limited or indefinite duration, as and when appropriate. In appropriate cases, we also represent clients or family members in contesting a petition filed in a guardianship proceeding. Because we recognize that the time and expense associated with a court proceeding are not always warranted, we are also available to provide less restrictive forms of assistance to an incapacitated person and his/her family, also as and when appropriate.

The attorneys of Offit Kurman’s Guardianships Practice Area have addressed numerous unique situations for its clients, such as assisting the families of:

• An elderly parent who has refused to accept appropriate medical care at home;
• An incapacitated accident victim being financially exploited by his caretaker;
• A daughter with a developmental disability who was unable to manage a sizeable inheritance left to her.

For information regarding establishing guardianships, issues relating to contesting of guardianships, or seeking other lesser restrictive forms of intervention, contact Rajiv K. Goel by e-mail at rgoel@offitkurman.com or by phone at 301.575.0316.