Planning for Incapacity

New Bedford Future Planning Attorney

Living Wills • Power of Attorney • Guardianships • Estate Planning

Possible mental illness or incapacity is a fact of life that most people prefer not to consider. Unfortunately, without proactive planning, little can be done without court involvement once incapacity occurs. At the Law Office of Michael T. Lahti, we offer more than 10 years of legal experience, and Mr. Lahti has earned a designation as a Certified Elder Law Attorney.

We are compassionate about client needs and concerns and work to skillfully help them create valid documentation to direct their future healthcare wishes. Contact our New Bedford or West Harwich estate planning law office to speak with an experienced future planning lawyer. We provide exceptional assistance locally in New Bedford.

Comprehensive Future Planning and Estate Planning Services

As experienced estate planning attorneys, we assists clients with evaluating and directing their wishes through various legal documents, such as:

• Power of attorney: a power of attorney grants authority to an individual to manage your financial responsibilities and other concerns, such as pay bills and possibly help complete estate planning at the point of incapacity
• Living will: a living will directs doctors how to handle your healthcare according to your wishes in the event that life support, artificial feeding, or other artificial life sustaining mechanisms are necessary.
• Healthcare proxy: a healthcare proxy enables an appointed loved one to discuss your healthcare decisions with doctors and advocate for proper healthcare treatment in the event you become unable to manage these concerns
• HIPAA release: A HIPAA release may be necessary to enable doctors and other healthcare professionals to discuss your medical records and care with multiple family members, such as brothers, sisters, or children
• Guardianship: In the event that an individual has become incapacitated without proper documentation in place, the family must petition to the court to determine the individual is incapacitated and authorize a guardianship
• Other estate planning: regardless of the future planning and estate planning documents that are suitable for you, it is important to ensure that the documents address the HIPAA laws appropriately in order to be effective

Experienced and Local Legal Advice

We intently listen to our clients to learn about their situations, discuss final wishes, and discuss how they wish their healthcare and finances to be handled in the event that they become incapable of managing these things on their own. To discuss important decisions involving living wills and other advanced directives with an experienced estate planning lawyer, contact our New Bedford or West Harwich law firm.