Guardianships

Guardianship is an important part of your estate planning if you have minor children. If something should happen to leave you incapacitated or you die, your wishes about raising your children will only be followed if you include this matter in your will or trust. At our office, we help parents make choices about the care of their minor children through guardianships.

Guardianships in Wills

When you create a will or trust, you have the opportunity to appoint a legal guardian to care for your minor children if you cannot, or if you should die before they are grown. If your estate goes to Probate, a judge will appoint a guardian for minor children, but to have your wishes known, you need to include this in your will or trust documents.

Attorney Sarah Kirland

There are many aspects to consider when you are trying to decide about guardianship of minor children. If the person you want to raise your child is not a responsible person financially, you may also want to appoint a different person to care for your child’s financial interests. If you are married, it is best if you and your partner agree upon the right person to care for children, in case you both become incapacitated or die.

In her work as a guardianship attorney, Sarah helps clients work out the important details about minor child care in their estate plans. There are many concerns to address about this issue, such as who would be the best guardian for your child, where they should live, do you need to appoint co-guardians, and who should have control of the child’s financial interests.

Other factors include the ability of the appointed person to actually care for minor children.

  • Are they physically and financially able to take on care of your child?
  • Can you provide them with assets for child care?
  • Do they share your moral beliefs?
  • Would the children need to move?
  • Do they have children of a similar age?

Contact Us

Addressing matters like guardianships is stressful to many people. We offer compassionate, caring service and want to help clients with difficult legal issues make decisions that are in the best interests of minor children. We have extensive experience working with clients of all ages, from all economic backgrounds.

To learn more about guardianships and estate planning, contact our office in Irvine, CA, today for a consultation. Call us now, at (949) 474-1284.