Guardians are appointed to manage the affairs of another person. In the legal system, the person is called a ward and is either under 18 years old, or is an elderly or disabled person unable to make decisions for him or herself. The matters a guardian oversees can vary depending on the type of guardianship he or she is given. There are several types that manage different areas of a person’s life, from personal care to managing finances.
In the first part of this series, our attorney in Raleigh NC talked about two types of guardianships: guardian ad litem and guardian of the estate. We’ll explain two other types of guardians in this section.
Guardian of the Person | Attorney in Raleigh NC
A guardian of the person is named to manage the personal affairs and wellbeing of the ward. As mentioned above, he or she will need to work with the conservator if there is money involved that should be used to care for the ward. The guardian of the person makes decisions about the health, education, and overall safety of the ward and determines where he or she should live. This person can be named in a will, or the court will appoint someone if there is no will. Children are not the only ones that can be wards of this type of guardian. It also applies to the elderly who are no longer able to make decisions for themselves, or a disabled adult.
Emergency Guardian
An emergency guardian is a temporary appointment in an emergency situation. The guardianship is generally processed quicker and only lasts for a short period of time. An emergency guardian would be needed in a case of domestic violence where the child is in danger and needs to be protected. This type of guardian can be a foster parent, a relative of the child, or even an attorney. Someone with an emergency guardianship must take care of the child until permanent arrangements are made and a long-term guardian is appointed.
We hope this information helps you with any confusion you might have about the different types of guardians. For more help, call our attorney in Raleigh NC. Also be sure to visit back with our previous blog post, as well.
If you haven’t appointed a guardian and need to update your estate plan, or you haven’t reviewed your documents in several years, now might be the best time to do so, now The beginning of the year is a great time to start updating or planning. Our attorney in Raleigh NC is here to help you get your estate planning in order and ready should you pass in an untimely manner or become incapacitated at some point. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to an estate plan. Contact us to get started estate planning, today.
As always, feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have about estate planning. Also contact us to schedule a consultation if you have yet to start estate planning. It's never too early to make plans for your wishes upon death. In addition, our attorney in Raleigh NC is here to help you with all your legal matters, whether it be estate planning, divorce, child custody, trademarking, copyrighting, or DWI issues.
Missed other blogs in this series? Be sure to visit back with them, below:
