What happens after the petition is filed?

Q. What happens after the petition is filed?

A. The Court will sign an order requiring the ward, his or her attorney, and any other interested person or agency to respond to the guardianship request within 20 days. The ward and any interested person or agency must be notified of the proceedings and his or her rights at them. The court will appoint an attorney to represent the ward and may appoint an independent investigator to look over the facts of the case and report written findings to the court.

The court will also schedule a hearing or jury trial where a judge or jury decides whether guardianship is appropriate and who should be appointed.

Usually, the judge decides the validity of the guardianship petition, but a jury trial is available unless waived.

Source: © 1986, MSBA, Inc. Revised 1998. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the Maryland State Bar Association.