Conservatorships in Minnesota
When an individual loses the ability to care for him or herself, intervention of a court is sometimes necessary. When these needs arise, our conservatorship attorneys assist clients with initiating conservatorship proceedings so that the protected person’s assets are not wasted or lost. Conservatorships are often appropriate where a guardianship has been established.
A conservator is appointed to make financial decisions for a protected person, who is referred to in the proceedings as a “ward” or “conservatee”. After appointment, the conservator may exercise the powers granted by the court, which may include the power to enter into contracts, pay bills, invest assets, and perform other key financial functions for the protected person. A ward might be an adult or elderly person with cognitive deficits, or a ward may be a minor child.
From the initial filing to the eventual discharge, our attorneys assist conservators throughout the process. Our attorneys help clients to navigate the legal system so that the task of serving as a conservator for a loved one is both manageable and understandable. Our attorneys also work with conservators to help them understand the inventory and accounting processes that courts require conservators in Minnesota to file.
The “CAMPER” System
To ensure that wards are adequately protected from unscrupulous conservators, Minnesota judges monitor conservators’ accounts and financial reports. To make this task less burdensome, Minnesota courts have implemented an electronic reporting system through which Minnesota conservators provide annual updates about income and expenses for the conservatorship. The electronic reporting system is called “CAMPER,” which is an acronym that stands for Conservatorship Account Monitoring Preparation and Electronic Reporting. The CAMPER system, which became mandatory for Minnesota conservatorships on January 1, 2011, can be confusing for the uninitiated. Our conservatorship attorneys help conservators navigate this process.
Our conservatorship attorneys are familiar with the CAMPER system, and can provide initial advice designed to streamline the CAMPER filing and data entry process. At times, an initial consultation with one of our attorneys can empower a conservator to complete most of the work in CAMPER themselves. This limits our role to consulting about CAMPER on an as-needed basis. However, the accuracy of CAMPER filings is critical, and for complex conservatorships, our conservatorship attorneys may also be designated as agents to prepare conservators’ accounts through the CAMPER system on behalf of conservators.
Our attorneys work with conservators to determine which solution is best suited to each conservators’ situation.
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To learn more about the services our estate planning lawyers provide, please call us at 952-432-3136 or, if you prefer, contact us using our online form.