PRACTICE AREA
Conservatorships
If a Conservatorship is Needed
Sometimes, life doesn’t work out the way we would like. A tragic accident… a sudden illness… dementia. Incapacity can happen to any family member, friend, or client at any time.


Patricia Kelly
Business Law Consultant
In such cases, a conservatorship proceeding is necessary so that someone else is able to provide for the needs of the incapacitated person. In some situations, even the best preparation is inadequate, as when it becomes necessary to have a person’s loved one placed in a secure facility because of advanced dementia.
Types of Conservatorships
A probate conservatorship is a court proceeding where a judge appoints a responsible individual (the “conservator”) to handle the affairs of the incapacitated adult (the “conservatee”). This can include managing his or her finances, making medical decisions for them, choosing where they live, who cares for them, and whether the conservator can attend school.
California probate conservatorships fall into two categories: the “conservatorship of the estate” – to take care of a person’s financial needs, and the “conservatorship of the person” – to manage the person’s healthcare, living, educational and social needs. One person can serve as the conservator of both the person and the estate.
These conservatorships are subject to special procedures to assure that the conservatee can retain personal autonomy. Where it is necessary to appoint a conservator for a person who is not developmentally disabled but who can exercise many functions, the court can appoint a general conservator but can reserve certain powers to be exercised by the conservatee.
Alternatively, someone who has advanced dementia, is comatose, or has no comprehension of their surroundings will likely need a full general conservatorship.
We understand that having a loved one with a diminished capacity can be a challenge. We will be happy to help guide you through the process.

Need Help With Legal Issues?
Etiam sed neque iaculis diam venenatis rhoncus eu in enim. Curabitur nec nulla quis ipsum commodo sollicitudin et in enim. Maecenas ornare blandit.