How Much Does It Cost to Set Up a Guardianship in Mississippi? 

If you want to set up a legal guardianship for a child, you may be wondering what it will cost. Here, we will tell you our fees. 

But first, let’s define what a guardianship is. A guardianship gives legal rights over a child to a person other than the child’s parent. Most often, the child lives with a relative, such as a grandparent, who needs legal rights over the child. This might be needed to have the child enrolled in school. It could be needed to provide health insurance coverage for the child. Or it could be needed for a number of other similar reasons. 

Guardians of a child typically are granted custody and decision-making rights for the child. A guardianship is appropriate if neither of the child’s parents is willing and able to care for the child.

Notably, a guardianship does not involve managing money or property belonging to the child. That is the purpose of a conservatorship. A conservatorship would be needed if, for example, the child inherited money or received proceeds from a lawsuit.

The process for an uncontested guardianship involves 3 steps. First, the proposed guardian(s) file a petition for guardianship. Second, they have the biological parents sign consent document agreeing to the guardianship (assuming they are in agreement). Third, they attend a hearing and have the judge sign an order granting the guardianship. 

If a parent refuses to sign a consent document, a guardianship can possibly be set up anyway. But to set up a guardianship over a parental objection usually requires strong evidence that the parent has abandoned the responsibilities of parenthood in some form or fashion. The fees listed below relate to uncontested guardianships where no parent objects. 

Our firm can usually set up an uncontested guardianship fairly quickly. It will depend somewhat on the court’s schedule, but usually we can complete the guardianship process within 3 months. 

So how much do we charge for a guardianship? Many law firms bill hourly for as many hours as it takes. At Grant Legal Group, we believe in flat-fee pricing. That means we tell you the total cost up front, so there are no surprises. There are also no hidden fees. For an uncontested guardianship, we generally charge a flat fee of $2,500. Half of the fee must be paid up front. If you pay the full fee up front, we give a 10% discount, which reduces the fee to $2,250. We accept most payment methods, including payment by credit card. 

We hope you have found this post helpful. To talk to an experienced attorney about your guardianship matter, please call us at (601) 827-3031 or email us using the contact link on our website.