However, with greater accountability and oversight, comes greater cost. And by cost I mean legal fees. The old version of guardianships and conservatorships were by no means inexpensive due to the cost of pleadings and court appearances. Operations under the new GAP Act are still in their infancy, but court costs also went up on January 1, 2020. Attorneys will be required to dedicate more time to each guardianship and conservatorship, and, accordingly, they will cost more.
But this isn’t a summary or overview of the new GAP Act. This is to instruct you how to minimize the impact that the new GAP Act may have on you, my dear fellow member of the body politic. That’s right, this blog post is intended to SAVE YOU MONEY and TIME.
“How’s that, Bub? I still don’t see how this affects me.”
Tough sell, I get it. Alright ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I am human adult residing in Mississippi? (If Yes, Proceed to #2)
- Am I married? (If Yes, you need this; If No, proceed to #3)
- Do I have living parents, kids, childless aunts/uncles, etc.? (If Yes, you need this).
In conclusion, you or someone you know/love really needs this information.
Alright, let’s dispense with the suspense. What you NEED is a combined durable and medical power of attorney. If you make this your mission, should you choose to accept it, you will likely never need a guardianship opened to manage your person and medical needs; nor will you need a conservatorship to manage your financial affairs. Oh, you will also need someone trustworthy to appoint as your attorney-in-fact (so that a court does not later have to step-in and regulate). We can customize your combined durable and medical power of attorney so that it only take effect once you are declared (by medical doctors) incapable of making decisions on your own. And/Or you can name a successor attorney-in-fact so that you are covered in case something happens to your first choice.
If this information was for you, then please understand that, with a little advanced planning, you can cover yourself for the remainder of your life, and save yourself and your family thousands of dollars avoiding a future guardianship or conservatorship.
So like the title says, avoid the GAP, get yourself an attorney-in-fact!
