Legal Guardian Resources - A Life for Braxton

I feel like “legal guardian resources” can mean a range of things, so I’ll try to organize this the best I can.

I’d like to note, though, that these are all things I found but not things I’ve personally used. I can’t guarantee any results you may get from using any of these resources.

I hope you find something helpful to you.

Attorneys, Guardianship Law

1. https://www.legalmatch.com/family-law-lawyers.html

This website appears to be able to find a family law attorney for guardianship cases (or any other type of case, looks like) anywhere in the United States. They don’t charge a fee for finding the attorney.

I don’t know if this is any more helpful than a Google search for local attorneys- I’m assuming you’ll still have to pay a consultation fee to any lawyer that reaches out to you. But it looked nifty, anyway.

2. https://answers.justia.com/

At this website, they have a section where you can enter a legal question you might have, and an attorney will answer it for free. You do have to create an account.

Be advised that this site reports it does not keep your questions confidential so if that’s a concern of yours- you’ve been warned.

Otherwise, again, nifty!

Advocacy, Self-Help

1. https://thearc.org/find-a-chapter/#

I love The Arc. They do so much for the DD/IDD community, including assisting with guardianship and alternatives.

Specific services and resources vary by location, but there are locations not only in every state, but in multiple counties within each state.

Check them out!

2. https://autisticadvocacy.org/actioncenter/issues/choices/sdm/

This site focuses on self-advocacy, which I think is important no matter the area of focus. Self-advocacy is a necessary skill for all people when it comes to care of any kind.

That being said, I think some of the ideas expressed here can be a bit dangerous- mostly in regard to speaking in absolutes.

Referencing “everyone” and “no one” in any argument leaves no room for differences across people and situations.

However, I fully support autonomy to the greatest extent possible, and agree that guardianship is too restrictive at its core. It shouldn’t be used for all decision-making situations.

There’s a lot of information here about supported decision-making.

3. http://www.supporteddecisionmaking.org/

This site is exclusively about supported decision-making, organized by state. If you want to know more about this alternative to guardianship, starting here might be pretty beneficial.

Even more, if you want to know about the laws and regulations around supported decision-making in your specific state, this site can direct you to that information.

4. https://www.specialneedsalliance.org/information-center/

This site offers information on a range of topics, including how to transfer guardianship to another state. I forgot to mention it in my blog posts, but guardianships are only effective in the state they were given.

If you need to move to another state, you’ll have to transfer the guardianship to the state you’re moving to.

Guardianship Forms

1. https://www.uslegalforms.com/findlaw/guardianship/?fli=diyns

On this webpage, you are directed to choose your state and then you are directed to the forms you’ll need to file for guardianship in your state.

There’s a fee to print them, and no obvious indication of exactly which ones you’ll need- all of them? Some of them?

Also, pay careful attention to whether the forms are in regard to guardianship of a minor or guardianship of an adult. I’ve seen both.

2. https://www.familylawselfhelpcenter.org/self-help/guardianship/125-alternatives

If you live in the state of Nevada, this website is an absolute gold mine. This page in particular offers free pdf forms for supported decision-making, POA, you name it. Wonderful site for legal guardian resources.

Government Websites by State

Legal guardian resources by state government sites

This was actually much harder than I expected it to be. Many states do make legal guardian resources and information easy to find and easily accessible.

Others…yes, well, that’s why it took so long to complete this post.

For some states, I could only find the information I was looking for in pieces. The states in the following list that have more than one link, that’s why.

For other states, I couldn’t find much information on a state-wide level because the processes vary by county.

If you’re in one of those states, I still included the state site but you’ll have to look up your county site on your own. Too much for me.

Then there were some states that appear to be non-conformists or something. The language they use is drastically different, or they require you to file with an attorney without offering self-filing.

At the end of compiling this section, I felt completely validated in the saltiness that caused me to start blogging in the first place.

“There are resources available to help you and your child.”

Uh huh. Riiiiiiight.

Without Further Ado (Or, Here Are the State Site Links):

I’m sure there are resources I missed and if any of you have any to add to this list, leave a comment or contact me.

Also, if you want to know more about why I’ve focused on these particular legal guardian resources, you can read about that in Our Story or Guide.

I hope you all find what you need (if not here, perhaps do a search for your specific location), or at least a starting point.

Good luck and peace out.

Attorneys, Guardianship Law

1. https://www.legalmatch.com/family-law-lawyers.html

2. https://answers.justia.com/

Advocacy, Self-Help

1. https://thearc.org/find-a-chapter/#

2. https://autisticadvocacy.org/actioncenter/issues/choices/sdm/

3. http://www.supporteddecisionmaking.org/

4. https://www.specialneedsalliance.org/information-center/

Guardianship Forms

1. https://www.uslegalforms.com/findlaw/guardianship/?fli=diyns

2. https://www.familylawselfhelpcenter.org/self-help/guardianship/125-alternatives

Government Websites by State

Without Further Ado (Or, Here Are the State Site Links):

Alabama:

Alaska:

Arizona:

Arkansas:

California:

Colorado:

Connecticut:

Delaware:

Florida:

Georgia:

Hawaii:

Idaho:

Illinois:

Indiana:

Iowa:

Kansas:

Kentucky:

Louisiana:

Maine:

Maryland:

Massachusetts:

Michigan:

Minnesota:

Mississippi:

Missouri:

Montana:

Nebraska:

Nevada:

New Hampshire:

New Jersey:

New Mexico:

New York:

North Carolina:

North Dakota:

Ohio:

Oklahoma:

Oregon:

Pennsylvania:

Rhode Island:

South Carolina:

South Dakota:

Tennessee:

Texas:

Utah:

Vermont:

Virginia:

Washington:

Washington DC:

West Virginia:

Wisconsin:

Wyoming:

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Shayla Teal