A Law Firm Prepared To Help You Secure Adult Guardianship

Protecting and caring for a mentally or physically incapacitated adult takes patience, understanding and grit. Your loved one may be a parent with dementia, a child with a disability who has just turned 18 and become an adult, or relative who has suffered a traumatic brain injury. You know they are at risk of being taken advantage of by unscrupulous persons, because they do not have the capacity to manage their finances and property, pay their bills, live safely at home, make crucial medical decisions, or otherwise handle important life decisions. It may be time to pursue adult guardianship.

A formal court process is necessary to obtain guardianship the person (medical decisions) or property (financial decisions) of an adult, so that’s why it is crucial to retain an experienced law firm. Poole, Mensinger, Cutrona & Ellsworth-Aults, in Wilmington, Delaware, understands the emotional difficulty you are going through. Our empathetic and assertive attorneys will do their best to protect you and your loved one.

Guiding You And Getting Results

Before appointing a guardian, the judge (called a "Master" in Delaware's Court of Chancery) will consider information provided by physicians, family members, and other persons who have an interest in your loved one's care. An independent attorney will be appointed by the Court to write a report on whether a guardianship is necessary, and whether the proposed guardian is an appropriate choice.

Sometimes, family members disagree about who should be appointed guardian. When this happens, the hearings can get contentious and fracture relationships within families. Allegations of neglect and exploitation may arise in a tug-of-war over who will become the guardian. Our attorneys do our best to avoid this scenario and to encourage communication whenever possible. We are assertive, reasonable and focused on getting results.

Ideally, your loved one would have done some life-ending planning before matters got to this point. Two such plans include creating an advanced health care directive or durable power of attorney. These documents allow their creators to name their choice for who to make financial and medical decisions, rather than relying on other person's to determine who would be best for these roles.

A health care directive describes the medical care you will accept and what you won’t accept if you become so incapacitated that you can no longer communicate. A power of attorney allows you to choose who will act for you in financial matters. Our attorneys can help you with this.

Schedule A Consultation Now

With decades of combined experience in wills and estate planning, Poole, Mensinger, Cutrona & Ellsworth-Aults, in Wilmington, Delaware, has the skills to help you in adult guardianship matters. We are a female-owned law firm that provides common-sense advice in representing your interests. We provide one-on-one attention and are persistent and sympathetic. For an initial consultation, fill out this online form or call 302-428-0100. Se habla español.