Before your court day
What to bring to your hearing
- All the court papers you filed
- Copies of your signed Proof of Service forms for the notice
- Any notes about what you plan to say or questions you have
If you didn't already turn it in, then the partially filled out
- Order Appointing Probate Conservator of the Person (form GC-340)
- Letters of Conservatorship (form GC-350)
The person with the disability should also go to the hearing
It's very important that the person with a disability go to court on the day of the hearing. This is an opportunity for them to share their opinion about the limited conservatorship with the judge.
Your day in court
You may need to wait before your hearing
Keep in mind that other people may have a hearing on the same day as you. Your case may not be called right away. You may end up waiting a few minutes or even more than an hour before it’s your turn.
The judge calls your case
Walk to the front of the courtroom
When it is your turn, the judge will call your names and say your case number. You go up to the front. If the person with the disability is there, they will also come up. Someone, usually the bailiff or a clerk, will show you which side to take and tell you to sit down. The bailiff is usually the person in charge of keeping order in the courtroom.
Tell the judge your name and answer their questions.
The judge will ask you to say your names. Then, you may be asked to swear to tell the truth.
The judge will ask you questions about your request to be appointed the limited conservator of the person with a disability. They may also ask questions of the person with a disability.
The judge may have specific questions about the seven powers that are available in a limited conservatorship. They will want to make sure that the limited conservatorship preserves the independence of the person with a disability to the maximum extent possible. This means that the powers granted to the limited conservator are only those that the person with a disability cannot manage or handle independently.
The judge makes a decision
If the judge is satisfied that appointing you as the limited conservator for the person with a disability is in their best interest:
- The judge will sign your Order Appointing Probate Conservatorship of the Person (form GC-340)
- The clerk will issue the Letters of Conservatorship (form GC-350) that you have signed
File your court order with the clerk. Take your Order Appointing Probate Conservatorship of the Person (form GC-340) and Letters of Conservatorship (form GC-350) to the clerk's office to certify and file them.
You will need a certified copy of the Order and Letters from the clerk. These documents are used to show hospitals, financial institutions and other agencies serving the person with a disability that you are the limited conservator.