Re: Need Help Finding a Guardianship Lawyer

[Guest guest]

Hi ,We live on Whidbey and did the guardianship ourselves. There is a lot

of paper work involved so some elect to have a lawyer complete the

process but the cost drove us to to tackle it ourselves. There is a new

training that is required now for new Guardianships and existing ones.

You will find all the forms you need at www.courts.wa.gov/forms

and the training is www.layguardiantraining@... . There is

also a nbr regarding the training 360 704 4081. You do have to have

"office" to open and use the forms. We don't have it on our computer

but found out I can use the library to do our periodic reporting which

is coming up. You can also check with you local court and see what

forms they need. We had to appear twice in court, once with our son. I did find

a local person to help with the process and serve as guardian ad litem

(GAL). That is a person you have to have serve as guardian during

the process. Your local ARC or maybe the court may have a name or

two. Our GAL appeared in court with us and helped me with the wording

of the forms and the price was very fair. Good luck and it is always good

to start early.

From: <galen78748@...>"autism " <autism > Sent: Thursday, March 8, 2012 2:36 PMSubject: Need Help Finding a Guardianship Lawyer

My son, who has severe autism, is turning 17 in a few months. I've known for a while that I need to get the ball rolling to be declared his legal guardian. Does anyone know a good place to start, particularly in the Seattle area?

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

..one other thing.. if you do call the courts to ask for a referal for a

GAL..it just may be an attorney they refer you to. There are other GAL's

out there that will charge less...

From: <galen78748@...>"autism " <autism > Sent: Thursday, March 8, 2012 2:36 PMSubject: Need Help Finding a Guardianship Lawyer

My son, who has severe autism, is turning 17 in a few months. I've known for a while that I need to get the ball rolling to be declared his legal guardian. Does anyone know a good place to start, particularly in the Seattle area?

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

, I am going through that whole process with my son now (severe autism) who just turned 18 a few days ago. We go to court in a week. We live in WI. They tell you to start 6 months before they are 18 (because at least here-some of the paperwork can take a while to be filled out-esp from the dr.). If you know any other families who have older children, ask them for atty names. Word of mouth is always a good bet. Unless you don't mind paying alot, stay away from any law firms that do corporate law/guardianships. They can be really expensive. Also you can check local agencies like UCP, or our local Childrens Hospital always holds seminars on these topics. Your local one maybe able to give you somes names. Also, some Autism Society branches have lists of resources

and names. You could give your local chapter a call.I hope this is some help! Good luck to you! Laurine From: sandra Wigglesworth <wigglesworthsandra@...> "autism " <autism > Sent: Friday, March 9, 2012 1:40 PM

Subject: Re: Need Help Finding a Guardianship Lawyer

..one other thing.. if you do call the courts to ask for a referal for a

GAL..it just may be an attorney they refer you to. There are other GAL's

out there that will charge less...

From: <galen78748@...>"autism " <autism > Sent: Thursday, March 8, 2012 2:36 PMSubject: Need Help Finding a Guardianship Lawyer

My son, who has severe autism, is turning 17 in a few months. I've known for a while that I need to get the ball rolling to be declared his legal guardian. Does anyone know a good place to start, particularly in the Seattle area?

Thanks,