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Does the Guardian for My Child Have to Be a United States Citizen?
December 27th, 2022
One of the more uncomfortable aspects of estate planning is deciding what will happen to your child if both you and the child’s other legal parent were to die unexpectedly. While the odds of this happening are low, the consequences of not naming a…
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Categories: Guardianship
Guardianships: Valuable Lessons from the Britney Spears Conservatorship
September 20th, 2021
Most everyone at some point over the past several months has heard something about Britney Spears’s conservatorship and her battles with her father, who has been serving as her conservator. Conservators, commonly called guardians in Texas and F…
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Categories: Guardianship
Alternatives to Guardianship
September 24th, 2018
Because guardianship involves a profound loss of freedom and dignity, state laws require that guardianship be imposed only when less restrictive alternatives have been tried and proven to be ineffective. ore importantly, and of the alternatives below…
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Categories: Guardianship
Tags: Florida
Guardianship Process
September 7th, 2018
Picking up from last week in this three-part series, this post covers the guardianship process. Key points are the complexity involved (this involves the court system) and the ongoing reporting requirements. Remembering some basic points of guardians…
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Categories: Guardianship
Tags: Florida
Basic Principles in Guardianship (a series)
August 31st, 2018
This is the first post in a series about guardianship. Over the next couple of weeks, look for two follow-ups that will further explains what’s behind this area of law. Guardianship Basics Every adult is assumed to be capable of making his or h…
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Categories: Guardianship
Tags: Florida
Guardianship, Hippos, and #notallfoxes: Thoughts from John Oliver (and Others)
July 18th, 2018
Sitting in my office this week, I had the opportunity to watch a clip from HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He provided an explanation of how guardianship works, with a frank discussion of the possible scary implications. Of course, be…
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Can We Talk? Having the Needed Conversations with Potential Guardians
February 8th, 2017
Estate planning is more than making choices. It is also about having conversations with those people you select to act for you in case of your death or disability—personal representatives, powers of attorney, and guardians, to name a few. A lot of…
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Tags: Florida
How to Select Guardians for Your Minor Children
May 3rd, 2016
Appointing a guardian for minor children is one of the most important and challenging decisions that parents face. If you’ve been avoiding the issue, it’s time to take the leap. A thorough, properly drafted estate plan is the best way to…
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Categories: Guardianship
Tags: Florida
New Florida Laws Broaden Health Care Surrogate Designations
October 1st, 2015
Beginning October 1, Florida parents now are able to designate a person to make health care decisions for their minor children in case the parent is unable to be reached. Additionally, the traditional health care surrogate designation for adults can…
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A Fast (but not Furious) Chat about Wills and Wrongful Death
September 29th, 2015
Some people say to me, “But I don’t need a will; I don’t have anything.” For a few people, this might apply; those persons might not now have anything in their estates that needs to be handled with a formal plan. One concern, though, is that…
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