New Years Resolutions 2023: Guardianship
Take the time to understand Guardianship and how it actually works:
If a child’s parents die and no relative or close family relation is immediately identified as being able to care for the child, a child will go into the foster care system. Hopefully, this is only for a brief stay until someone can be located, but sometimes these things take time. Next, a relative or family friend petitions the court for guardianship of the child. There are hearings, possibly multiple petitions from different people to deal with and possibly conflict. A judge has to do their best to guess who is the best person to be guardians of your kids. Judges try hard, but they aren’t you. They can’t possibly know or internalize all the reasons why someone who looks great on paper might not be the person you want raising your kids.
Even if the person you want to “win” is appointed guardian, they may still have had to go through an exhausting, contested, and expensive process. Contested guardianships often benefit from an attorney’s help, and those fees can be quite expensive in an involved proceeding.
Investing a bit of time, energy, and funds now ultimately saves your family the uncertainty of now knowing your wishes, the anxiety of a potentially contested proceeding, and the related expenses.
Contact the Compass Law team for assistance!
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