A court evaluator is a neutral, independent investigator that the Supreme Court, Queens County appoints in an adult guardianship proceeding to gather facts, interview the alleged incapacitated person (AIP), and report directly to the judge on whether a guardian is truly needed and, if so, what powers are appropriate. In a Queens Article 81 guardianship case under New York’s Mental
To become the legal guardian of an aging parent in Queens, you file an Article 81 petition under the New York Mental Hygiene Law (MHL) in the Supreme Court, Queens County — not the Surrogate’s Court — asking the court to find that your parent is an “incapacitated person” and to appoint you to manage their personal needs, their property,
The honest answer is that there is no single sticker price: the cost of an Article 81 guardianship in Queens depends on whether the case is contested, how complex the incapacitated person’s finances are, and how many court-appointed professionals the judge brings in. For an uncontested adult guardianship in Queens County, most families should plan for attorney fees plus court-appointed
If your child has an intellectual or developmental disability and is turning 18, the most direct way to continue making decisions on their behalf in Queens is to petition for guardianship under Article 17-A of the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA), filed in the Queens County Surrogate’s Court. When a child reaches 18, New York law treats them as a
If a loved one in Queens can no longer manage their finances or personal care, the most important decision your family will make is whether to pursue an Article 81 guardianship or to rely on a durable power of attorney (POA). The short answer: a power of attorney is a private, voluntary document your loved one signs while they still
An uncontested Article 81 guardianship in Queens County typically takes about two to four months from the date the petition is filed in the Supreme Court, Queens County, until a guardian is formally appointed and qualified. Some straightforward cases move faster, while contested matters, complex estates, or scheduling delays can stretch the process to six months or longer. Because an
Guardianship of a minor in Queens is the legal process by which a court appoints a responsible adult to care for a child under 18 — and, when necessary, to manage that child’s money or property — when the child’s parents cannot. In Queens, a proceeding to appoint a guardian for an infant (the legal term for any minor under
In Queens, a guardian of the person is appointed to make decisions about an individual’s personal needs — where they live, their medical care, their daily safety — while a guardian of the property is appointed to manage their financial affairs, such as paying bills, handling bank accounts, and protecting assets. They are two distinct sets of powers under New
Yes — you can contest a guardianship petition in Queens, and the alleged incapacitated person (AIP) holds powerful, court-protected rights to do exactly that. An adult incapacity guardianship in New York is brought under Mental Hygiene Law (MHL) Article 81 and is heard in the Supreme Court, Queens County — not the Surrogate’s Court. The AIP has the right to
The Article 81 guardianship process in Queens is a court proceeding, brought in the Supreme Court of Queens County, in which a judge decides whether an adult can no longer manage their personal needs or financial affairs and, if so, appoints a guardian to step in. Article 81 of New York’s Mental Hygiene Law (MHL) governs guardianship for adults whose
If your parent in Forest Hills is slipping into dementia, or your young adult in Astoria has an intellectual disability and is about to turn 18, you may assume that guardianship is your only path. It usually is not. For most Queens families, the better answer is one of the legal alternatives to guardianship — a durable power of attorney,