At certain natural stages of life, or due to an accident or illness, an individual may be unable to make decisions for themselves, either temporarily or permanently. When a person cannot act on their own behalf, they require a legal guardian to manage their personal care and make essential decisions in their best interests. Often, this is a child, an elderly loved one, or an incapacitated family member.
A legal guardian in Denver serves as a proxy for the protected party, or ward. Contact Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C., to learn more about the legal guardianship process in Colorado.
The lead Denver family attorneys at Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C. each have over 20 years of experience in Colorado family law, totaling over 100 years of combined experience behind your legal guardianship case. With Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C., you can expect the following:
Whether you need to arrange a guardianship for yourself or a loved one, turn to Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C.
When it’s time to seek legal guardianship for a loved one, Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C. can help. We represent clients through guardianship requirements for cases such as:
Acquiring a guardianship is often a sensitive family matter, sometimes involving emergency actions, disputes between family members, or legal action from opposing parties in a contested guardianship case. The experienced family law firm of Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C. has extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of guardianship in Denver and throughout Colorado.
Guardianship cases are not always a straightforward process, but can quickly become complicated. A guardianship attorney from Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C. does the following:
As Denver guardianship lawyers, Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C., is a full-service family law firm. We will continue to provide legal counsel and ongoing support as needed throughout the duration of your guardianship, including assisting you in meeting annual reporting requirements and making any changes in your ward’s daily care requirements or financial needs.
A guardian and their protected person have a legal relationship with the guardian responsible for the affairs of their ward, whether a minor child, incapcitated adult, or an elder. Guardianships are commonly established for situations such as the following:
An experienced guardianship attorney ensures that you meet all that’s required of you as a legal guardian for a loved one. We also assist clients in proactively making arrangements for their own future legal guardianship should it become necessary.
A temporary guardianship may be appointed by a judge during a family emergency to care for an incapacitated adult or minor child for a limited period, such as during an accident victim’s recovery. A court may establish a temporary guardianship when the ward is expected to recover.
A standby guardianship is an individual selected to serve as a future guardian by someone who expects to become incapacitated in the future, such as an elderly person with a new diagnosis of early Alzheimer’s disease. The court upholds a temporary guardianship as long as the ward was fully cognizant at the time of the appointment.
Legal guardianship begins by petitioning the court in the protected person’s jurisdiction. Then the proposed guardian must submit a professional opinion by a medical provider assessing the ward’s condition. The judge reviews the evidence of the ward’s medical and cognitive condition to declare the ward as incompetent. The court then appoints the petitioner as the legal guardian, or may hear disputes between multiple family members seeking legal guardianship.
A proposed guardian typically must pass a background check and submit a recent credit report. Then, the court appoints a neutral third party to check on the ward’s condition and set a date for a guardianship hearing. At the hearing, the judge reviews the evidence and hears testimony, including any conflicting testimony if another family member argues against the proposed guardianship.
An attorney from Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C., represents you and your ward’s best interests at the hearing.
At Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C., we take the time to get to know our clients so we can better understand and convey their legal needs to a judge, including in guardianship cases. Call our Denver family law office about your guardianship questions or reach out to us online to learn how we can help.
