Recently we told you about recommendations issued in 2021 by the Florida Guardianship Improvement Task Force. Most court-appointed guardians are sincere and well-meaning and do good work – but the system itself is not as good as it should be….
more
If the court decides you can’t make your own decisions due to incapacity, it will appoint a guardian for you. You then lose the right to make your own decisions. Your guardian gets extensive authority over your life, from deciding…
more
Being placed under court-ordered guardianship means that the court has found you incapable of managing your own affairs, and has appointed a guardian to make decisions for you. The guardian may be someone who does not know you and who…
more
The art of Peter Max is instantly recognizable. His colorful, psychedelic paintings became wildly popular during the counter-culture era of the 1960s. Max’s art graced the flyer for the 1967 massive “Be-In” in Central Park; appeared on a postage stamp;…
more
Britney Spears’ guardianship has drawn most of the media attention lately. But there is another, not quite-so-high-profile celebrity currently embroiled in a guardianship drama. Both stories underscore how essential it is to make legal plans for the possibility that you…
more
Our Florida elder law attorneys help people make plans not just for death, but for life. Among those important life plans is avoiding court-ordered guardianship. Nearly 1.5 million Americans are currently under guardianship, most over the age of 65. There…
more
Most court-appointed guardians do their best to compassionately serve their elderly wards. But there’s no doubt about it: There have been bad apples in Florida’s public guardianship system. Over the years the state has introduced several measures aimed at better…
more
On February 11, Rebecca Fierle was arrested in Marion County, Florida on felony charges of aggravated abuse of an elderly person. As disturbing as elder abuse is, this case is particularly horrifying because Fierle was a professional guardian, entrusted with…
more
Buzz Aldrin became the second man to walk on the moon when the Apollo 11 lunar module landed gracefully in the Sea of Tranquility. But in recent years, Aldrin’s relationship with his children has been anything but tranquil. As noted…
more
It’s been as much a Shakespearean tragedy as a legal battle over an elderly billionaire’s assets. The story features power grabs, on-again, off-again lovers, betrayal, and money… lots and lots of money. In my post of 2016 I described the…
more
