Guardianship Attorney
What Does Legal Guardianship Mean?
Guardianship is the legal right for one person to provide care and make decisions for another person. This could be a family member like a child whose parents have died or who can not adequately care for the child, or an elderly or disabled adult who can not make life decisions themselves.
Guardianship Can Improve Someone's Life Contact Froerer and Miles to Get Started
In many cases, the help of an attorney can make a significant difference in being able to attain guardianship in any capacity. For help seeking guardianship in the Ogden, Layton, or Salt Lake City, UT, areas, contact our guardianship lawyers at Froerer and Miles for a free consultation.
Mr. Froerer has been practicing family law in Ogden since 1959. He and his team are highly qualified to take on your guardianship case. Our law firm can also assist with estate planning, child custody, child support, and various probate issues that can be related to guardianship cases.
Please use our convenient online form or simply call us to learn more about how our law firm can petition a court to appoint you to be the legal guardian of someone you care about.
5-Star Reviews for Our Ogden, UT, Law Firm "We are very impressed with this organization."
Scott Wheeler
2021
We enlisted the services of Froerer & Miles to review and update a badly out of date revocable family trust. Matt Miles was a clear and concise advisor who answered all of our complex questions and guided us through some difficult discussions and decisions. He reduced a cumbersome and confusing fifty page document to a clearly written and understandable fifteen pages. We are very impressed with this organization.
View on GoogleCraig Malan
2020
We have been using this excellent team for 25 years. Both Team Froerer and Team Miles for different needs. All are caring and excellent professionals. Lately, Matt and Kelly helped update my parents trust. Even during these Covid times, they made special arrangements to work with my parents who were in quarantine.
View on GoogleLearn More about Froerer and Miles
Froerer & Miles is a firm that has been providing legal services in Layton, Ogden, UT, and nearby areas since 1959. Our firm is dedicated to ethical, personable legal counsel that is supported by the resources we have built over several decades. Our team of attorneys is here to help you resolve your legal disputes.
What Is a Legal Guardian?
A legal guardian is a person appointed by a court to have decision-making authority for another person. The guardian also has the duty to provide basic care for the person, also known as the "ward," as well as managing their finances and property.
The obligations of a legal guardian should not be taken on without serious consideration, because your decisions will directly impact your ward’s health, financial status, and property rights. This is also why it is important to take advantage of our estate planning services to ensure your ward's financial well-being in the future.
What Froerer and Miles Can Do
Offer Legal Assistance
Our law firm's guardianship lawyers, serving Salt Lake City and surrounding areas, can assist you with your desire to become a legal guardian. If you wish to be the guardian of a minor, for example, and one of the child's parents is paying child support, we can also aid you with family law matters such as making sure those payments continue.
Estate Planning
Our attorneys can also handle your personal estate planning so that probate, the legal process of your ward inheriting your finances and property, will go smoothly should you pass away unexpectedly. Our probate services can also ensure that your ward will receive any inheritances due to them from other relatives who pass away.
Attorney Kelly Miles: Why Estate Planning is So Important
Estate planning attorney Kelly Miles has been helping clients of Froerer & Miles protect the future of their assets. He explains that estate planning is important for several reasons, including your peace of mind. His goal is to help you ensure that a reliable plan is in place so you do not need to worry about your family.
Types of Guardianships
The guardianship lawyers at our Ogden, UT, law firm can help you attain legal guardianship for individuals like these who need help with their daily lives:
Guardianship is often recommended for elderly persons who suffer from incapacity and are no longer capable of taking care of their day-to-day needs. In most cases, our Ogden, UT, lawyers can help an adult child or younger sibling take on the role of guardian and manage money for their incapacitated loved one. Our law firm can also help with probate issues such as estate planning or review so any inheritance will be easily transferred to the intended recipients.
A child's parents are automatically considered their legal guardians. However, other persons may be asked to take on this role in the event of their death or if a parent loses child custody. There are different types of guardianships for minors and our Salt Lake City area law firm can help you decide which type is needed for your specific circumstances. Froerer and Miles' attorneys are also experienced in the field of adoption should you decide upon that option.
When a physically or mentally disabled child is a minor, their parents are responsible for their care and financial support. But when that child transitions to adulthood, the same care and support is often needed. In these cases, a guardianship or conservatorship can be established for the disabled adult. Our Ogden law firm's attorneys can help determine which option will serve the disabled person's needs best.
What Determines If My Loved One Needs a Guardian?
The Court
In each type of guardianship, the court is granted the power to appoint a person to act as the guardian. However, keep in mind that in some cases, a finding is made that a legal guardian is not needed. The court may then make alternate arrangements such as allowing a person to act as a power of attorney or health care proxy over certain aspects of the ward’s life.
The Evidence
The outcome of your case will depend on the evidence presented by your Ogden, UT, guardianship attorney and the needs of the ward. In order to prevent abuse, the first step to becoming a guardian is to prove a person's incapacity. This can be accomplished through the introduction of psychological or medical evaluations that can verify whether or not the potential ward can handle their daily affairs.
Guardianship vs. Conservatorship
One of the first steps our Ogden, UT, law firm must take is to decide if a guardianship or conservatorship is needed to care for your loved one. A guardianship will give you the legal authority to make daily decisions to protect your ward's health and safety, especially in the case of a minor.
However, if the Utah court appoints you to be the conservator of an incapacitated adult who cannot physically or mentally grant you power of attorney, a conservatorship will give you the legal rights to manage that person's financial affairs. Our lawyers recommend looking at a conservatorship early on as a sort of insurance for someone who is currently struggling with dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
What Does a Conservatorship Mean?
Managing a person's bank accounts and investments.
Managing, or if necessary, selling the person's real estate, properties, companies, vehicles, and livestock, if any.
Following all orders given to you by the court, and updating the court as to any transactions or decisions made.
Notifying the court if you change residences, or if the incapacitated adult changes residence or care facilities.
Can Your Loved One No Longer Care for Themselves? Contacting Us Can Help You Help Them
Being a guardian to a family member or other loved one takes a big heart as well as incredible patience and time, and you should be commended for considering this life-changing responsibility. But it also takes knowledgeable guardianship attorneys to make sure all the legal complexities of guardianship are handled properly, correctly, and in a timely fashion.
Our lawyers have provided superior, compassionate family law and other legal services to the people of Ogden, Layton, and the Salt Lake City communities for over 60 years. Let our guardianship lawyers assist you during this difficult time. Schedule your free consultation using our online form or simply call us today.
(801) 621-2690
We Thank Our Clients for These Glowing Reviews "Terrific law firm."
Cheryle Baker
2021
They were great to work with. Got an appointment easily, they helped us through the process and had our documents ready in a expedited manner.
View on GoogleRyan Steinbeigle
2020
Terrific law firm. Responsive and timely with any requests that we've had. Consummate professionals that can handle any legal issues you may have. Highly recommend.
View on GoogleWhat Is the Process to Becoming a Legal Guardian?
More 5-Star Reviews from Our Clients in Ogden "I highly recommend Froerer & Miles."
Chris Battrick
2019
Froerer & Miles is an experienced legal office that cares. I'm so impressed with everyone there, from their kind and efficient reception staff all the way to the top. If you need help with Estate Planning, or just want a review of your current plans, consider Froerer & Miles. They're awesome and less expensive than other planners I've talked to.
View on GoogleTracy Eyres
2018
I appreciate the time and professionalism of Bob and his team in handling my legal matters. Their response to inquiries was always prompt and questions we answered to my satisfaction. I highly recommend Froerer & Miles.
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