Emergency Conservatorships and Guardianships: Pursuing Court Intervention and Orders, Litigation

Guardianships, conservatorships, and other protective proceedings fall under the jurisdiction of the probate court. The probate court may appoint a guardian or conservator on behalf of a person if it finds a person to be incapacitated or in some cases, subject to undue influence. The proceedings for guardianship and conservatorship are rife with pitfalls, and elder law attorneys must navigate the nuances of pursuing or defending against claims.

A guardianship or a conservatorship is a court-supervised process for transferring an incapacitated individual's rights to someone capable of providing supervision regarding care or finances. The procedures involved can be daunting and require a careful analysis of the risks and factors requiring the need for court intervention, required court evaluations and hearings, and other essential matters that impact the proceedings.

These protective proceedings come with inherent risks that often result in litigation. Contested guardianships and conservatorships have been on the rise. A variety of issues beyond incapacity--such as financial abuse, fraud, misappropriation of assets, unacceptable accounting, and other critical issues--can be the basis for claims challenging the appointment or removal of a guardian or conservator. Attorneys must grasp these protective proceedings and available techniques to protect client interests.

Listen as our panel discusses the challenges in pursuing or defending against protective proceedings, recent case law, and standards of review, as well as provides practical techniques for conservatorship and guardianship litigation.