Conservatorship is like guardianship in that it involves gaining legal control over a person or organization considered incapable of successfully controlling itself. There are several factors to consider when choosing the best conservatorship attorney, the attorney who will help you gain conservator status and help you through the long and involved process of conservatorship. First, you need to choose a lawyer who has experience with conservatorship cases. Second, it is important to choose an attorney who will stick with you for the duration of the conservatorship. Finally, you must make sure the attorney is someone with whom you feel comfortable.
Several search methods can help you find an experienced conservatorship attorney. Check your local listings and pay attention to television and radio commercials as well as billboards and other print ads you see. Many websites are designed to provide information about lawyers in a particular location, including their legal specialty. You can also talk with family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers about any experiences they have had with conservatorship lawyers.
While you are considering lawyers, make sure the ones you are interested in have experience specifically with conservatorship cases and not just family law experience. Just because an attorney has experience with family law does not mean he or she has ever helped a person obtain conservator status. Once you find an attorney who has experience with helping clients establish conservatorship, make sure he or she will stick with your case after the petition processing is complete, the court order is processed, and legal control has been established. Taking legal control over another person’s life is an involved, ongoing process. Having a knowledgeable conservatorship attorney to help you when things get confusing or difficult can be crucial to the success of the conservatorship.
The first two factors you should consider when searching for the best conservatorship attorney are fairly objective, but the third is more subjective. You want to choose an attorney who is sensitive to the often delicate nature of establishing conservatorship. This means the attorney you choose should be one with whom you feel comfortable discussing the incompetent adult, including the circumstances that have led you to believe he or she is incompetent and the steps you believe are necessary to straighten out and take control of his or her financial and other life matters. Even if you meet with a conservatorship attorney who has the best reputation for helping family members gain the position of conservator and sticking with them until the end, you should look elsewhere if you do not feel comfortable with this lawyer.