Understanding Guardianships: How long do guardianships take to get? How long do they last?

Each county has a Probate Court that handles their resident’s guardianship hearings. Generally speaking, it can take over a month to complete the entire process of filing, serving, evaluating, and holding the hearing to have a guardian appointed. The length of time really depends on the specific court being used; some courts have longer wait times than others. And this is for regular guardianships. The probate courts do have an emergency guardianship process for when there is an immediate and substantial risk of death or serious physical injury, illness or disease. In these dire situations, the judge may be able to appoint an emergency guardian/conservator immediately or at least within 3-5 days when the emergency hearing is required to be held. A guardian appointed in the normal process is in place for as long a period of time as the judge has ordered. A guardian appointed during an emergency process is only effective until a permanent guardian is appointed or at the most 60 days after being appointed. An emergency guardian, therefore, is only temporary. If you need personalized legal advice about guardianships in Georgia, please call our office at (404) 843-0121 or email us at info@hurleyeclaw.com.