Conservatorship Attorney Los Angeles
Has your elderly loved one started to decline mentally? Are they missing medical appointments or forgetting to take their medication? Has someone close to them been stealing from them? Have they been scammed by a third party? If the answer to any of the aforementioned questions is yes, then you may want to consider filing a petition for a conservatorship over your loved one with help from an experienced Los Angeles conservatorship attorney.
A conservatorship is a type of court proceeding in which a responsible adult is asking the court for the authority to manage the personal and/or financial affairs of a vulnerable adult who is incapable of doing so on their own. Often, the proposed conservatee is an elder with declining mental competency due to old age or a form of dementia or an adult with a developmental disability, such as autism or Down syndrome. Conservatorships can serve to protect such adults against both personal and financial harm.
Types Of Conservatorships In California
Conservatorships can vary in type and duration. In a general conservatorship, a conservator may be appointed to take control of the conservatee’s finances—known as a conservatorship of the estate—or may be appointed to take control of the conservatee’s health and personal decisions—known as a conservatorship of the person, or both. In contrast, a limited conservatorship is generally reserved for developmentally disabled adults who can for the most part live independently, but they may need assistance with important health care or life decisions.
Conservatorships can also be either temporary or permanent. A temporary conservatorship can be granted on an emergency basis for a specified, temporary period of time, and can be a godsend in life-threatening situations, such as if a person is in a coma and their physician needs consent to perform an urgent medical procedure on them. A permanent conservatorship, conversely, is generally permanent in nature and can help protect vulnerable adults who are not expected to regain capacity.
For help establishing or contesting any of the aforementioned types of conservatorships, you can turn to a conservatorship lawyer. Los Angeles probate courts can be difficult to navigate, but with a conservatorship lawyer in your corner, you can leave the heavy lifting up to them and focus on caring for your loved one.
Whether you are seeking to establish a conservatorship, defend a conservatorship, contest a conservatorship, terminate a conservatorship or need help navigating your duties in a conservatorship, a Los Angeles conservatorship attorney can serve as a go-to resource. To ensure your elderly or disabled loved one gets the care and protection they need as soon as possible, you need a skilled and efficient conservatorship attorney. Los Angeles residents can feel confident that if they hire Keystone, they will get just that.
Why Should You Hire a Los Angeles Conservatorship Attorney?
Maybe an elder family member has been acting erratically or irrationally as of late, but you are not sure whether their behavior justifies establishing a conservatorship. Maybe you are a conservatee who believes you have been wrongfully placed under a conservatorship you do not need (e.g., Britney Spears’ conservatorship). Maybe you are a family member of the conservatee who has noticed signs of conservatorship abuse, and are concerned the conservatee is being abused by their conservator. Or, maybe you are a first-time conservator who needs help navigating the obligations of your role. Whatever form your conservatorship matter takes, one of Keystone’s Los Angeles conservatorship attorneys will be able to help.
- Establishing a Conservatorship: Keystone can help determine whether a proposed conservatorship is warranted and what type of conservatorship a vulnerable adult may need. If a conservatorship is warranted, Keystone can submit a petition for a conservatorship proceeding to the probate court and argue in favor of the proposed conservatorship.
- Contesting a Conservatorship: If a conservatorship is unwarranted, or if a client believes that the proposed conservator does not have the conservatee’s best interests at heart, Keystone can help oppose the conservatorship or a particular conservator.
- Stopping Conservatorship Abuse: When a conservator is abusing the conservatee in any way—physically, psychologically or financially—Keystone can take steps to remove the conservator and replace them with an adult who is responsible and does have the best interests of the conservatee at heart. If the abuse was financial in nature, Keystone can also help recover damages as well as any assets the conservatee lost from the conservator. (See signs of conservatorship abuse)
- Counseling Conservators: Because conservators are responsible for protecting the conservatee’s finances and/or their person, the conservator will have many duties to navigate. Keystone can help conservators ensure they are fulfilling their duties diligently and ethically, and can protect them against any liabilities that may arise.
California courts are rigid when it comes to approving conservatorships, since conservatorships basically reduce an adult’s rights to those of a child. While conservatorships can be crucial in both preserving vulnerable adults’ lives and assets, the court will always default to preserving an adult’s freedom if it seems they are not a risk to themselves or others. Because the laws relating to conservatorships are so complex, they are very difficult to establish without help from a Los Angeles conservatorship attorney who has an intimate knowledge of the state’s conservatorship laws.
Keystone’s probate attorneys’ services include:
Keystone’s Los Angeles Conservatorship Attorneys Are Standing By to Help
Keystone Law Group is unique in that its lawyers practice exclusively in the probate field of law. This singular focus on probate matters has allowed Keystone attorneys to achieve a level of expertise that is seldom found in firms that practice estate planning or other disciplines correlated with probate law. The Keystone team keeps a constant pulse on probate developments and cases, and then engages in insightful discussions about them with one another in an effort to better serve their clients. Likewise, Keystone attorneys are always pursuing new avenues for continuing their legal educations.
Keystone’s Los Angeles conservatorship attorneys have an impeccable reputation among their clients, peers and judges—which is why they regularly receive accolades from leading legal publications and are asked to speak on matters related to probate, both in the media and in lectures targeting other attorneys and professionals.
Some notable accomplishments by Keystone’s Los Angeles conservatorship attorneys include:
- They have been Certified as Specialists in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law (State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization).
- They routinely present on probate topics to professionals across a variety of fields, including attorneys and CPAs.
- They regularly receive accolades from prominent legal publications, such as Daily Journal, Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers.
- They have taught trusts and estates to law students.
- Managing Partner Shawn Kerendian has been qualified to act on behalf of incapacitated adults as court-appointed counsel and guardian-ad-litem, which is reserved for only the most experienced conservatorship lawyers.
For the best chance at obtaining the desired outcome for your conservatorship matter, you need a knowledgeable and experienced conservatorship lawyer. Los Angeles residents do not have to look beyond Keystone to find one, as every one of its lawyers is trained to provide effective representation in any type of conservatorship matter. Call Keystone’s Los Angeles conservatorship attorneys today to schedule your free consultation.
Types of Clients We Work With
Speak to a Keystone Los Angeles Conservatorship Attorney Today
Keystone Law Group has a long track record of working quickly and efficiently to get vulnerable adults the protection they need through a conservatorship. Keystone’s Los Angeles conservatorship attorneys also have experience favorably resolving complex contested conservatorship matters for their clients.
Regardless of whether you are seeking to establish a conservatorship over an elderly loved one, seeking counseling about your role as conservator or seeking to contest a conservatorship, Keystone’s attorneys can provide expert representation. Don’t wait to get the vulnerable adult in your life the help they need. Call us today to schedule your free consultation with a Los Angeles conservatorship attorney.
