**Conservatorship** (noun) — A legal arrangement in which a court appoints a person or organization to manage the financial affairs and property of someone determined incapable of managing their own affairs.
A conservatorship is the formal legal arrangement where a court decides someone can't handle their own finances and appoints someone else to do it for them. It's the relationship between the conservator and the person they're helping (the conservatee).
Getting a conservatorship requires going to court. Someone petitions (usually family), presents evidence the person can't manage their affairs, and the court decides whether conservatorship is necessary. The person who might be placed under conservatorship has rights to contest this and have a lawyer.
Once established, the conservatorship continues until the court ends it. The conservator must report regularly to the court about how they're managing the money and property. It's supervised by the court to protect against abuse.
⏱ When you'll encounter this term
Conservatorships are sometimes necessary but represent a significant loss of independence. The conservatee loses the right to control their own money and property. That's why courts require substantial evidence before imposing conservatorship.
These arrangements are used for elderly people with dementia, adults with significant disabilities, or people with severe mental illness. They're meant to protect vulnerable people from financial exploitation or their own inability to manage affairs properly.
You'll encounter conservatorships when someone becomes incapacitated without having executed a power of attorney. It's the backup the legal system provides when someone can't manage their affairs and hasn't planned ahead. The court process is public, expensive, and time-consuming—major reasons estate planners encourage powers of attorney as an alternative.
**Related terms:** [Conservator](/dictionary/conservator), [Guardianship](/dictionary/guardianship), [Incapacity](/dictionary/incapacity)
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"Dad's conservatorship meant his appointed conservator had to file annual reports with the court showing how every dollar of Dad's money was spent for his care."