The Use of Conservatorships and Adult Guardianships and Other Options in the Care of the Mentally Ill in the United States
Private Wealth Services attorneys Stacie Chau and Lydia Lockett co-authored a piece for the World Guardianship Congress guiding attorneys on how to help clients dealing with mental illness. This emotionally charged aspect of legal representation can be fraught with challenges, from barriers to obtaining treatment to complications surrounding guardianships. In this article, Ms. Lockett and Ms. Chau review common types of mental illness that lawyers may encounter in clients or their family members, survey laws on civil commitment and guardianships, describe why family members face difficulty when trying to use conservatorship and adult guardianship pathways to obtain care for the mentally ill, and present alternatives to commitments and guardianships that might improve access to care and more effectively protect clients' well-being.