“My mother is quickly slipping into some sort of dementia. She has an appointment with a lawyer to sign Power of Attorney over to me. She is divorced and I am an only child. I am afraid that she will become totally confused by the time we get to the lawyer. What can I do to speed this up?”

Ask the attorney if they make house calls, and make sure a notary will be at the appointment. With your mother’s consent, find a different attorney that will do this on an expeditied basis. Get on line or to the law library, find your own power of attorney form, prepare it for your mother’s signature and have a mobile notary meet the both of you for the signature.

The ways you speed up attorneys that YOU hire is to demand results or move on. Unfortunately, your mother’s attorney might not even take your calls, and generally would be under no duty to do so.


Michael Durgavich is an accomplished attorney and mediator. Maintaining a general practice in the San Jose, California area, Mr. Durgavich specializes in family law, bankruptcy, and alternative dispute resolution. Mr. Durgavich can be reached through his website at http://www.MichaelDurgavich.com. Contact This Author

State laws vary, and the above is intended as general advice, and not direct legal advice regarding any one particular situation in any one state. For direct personal legal advice related to your own situation you should consult an attorney familiar with the laws of your state and with your situation.