Legal Aid Society publishes brochure on conservatorship

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 26, 2015–Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Tennessee’s largest non-profit law firm, announced today that it has published a new free brochure on conservatorship in Tennessee. Through a conservatorship, a judge appoints a guardian to manage the affairs of another person who is incapacitated to the point that they cannot make health care or financial decisions for themselves.

The brochure primarily targets two groups: people such as family members, caregivers and friends who want to help someone by becoming their conservator and people who need or already have a conservator making their decisions. It outlines the legal basics of a conservatorship court order, including:

*What a conservatorship is
*The types of conservatorship and what they do
*The legal requirements before a conservator can be appointed for someone
*How to apply for conservatorship of a person and/or their estate
*The rights of the person for whom someone is seeking to become the conservator and their rights after a conservator is appointed for them
*How to end or change a conservatorship

“A conservatorship is a very sensitive and serious legal proceeding. That is, through a conservatorship, another person could be handling your bills, property and health care decisions,” said Steve Christopher, managing attorney for the Gallatin office of Legal Aid Society and one of the authors of the brochure. “By publishing this free brochure, our goal is for those at the crossroads of such important legal and life decisions to not be overwhelmed by jargon or a lack of knowledge, but empowered by this information.”

The free brochure is available on Legal Aid Society’s website, www.las.org. Each of Legal Aid Society’s eight offices will also have free hard copies of the brochure on file for those interested in learning more about conservatorship.

Funding for the brochure was provided by the West End Home Foundation.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands advocates for fairness and justice under the law. The non-profit law firm offers free civil legal representation, educational programs and advice to ensure people in its region are able to protect their livelihoods, their health and their families. It serves 48 counties from offices in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Tullahoma. Legal Aid Society is funded in part by United Way. Learn more at www.las.org, or by following the firm on Facebook.

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Legal Aid Society publishes brochure on conservatorship