Students will be appointed as court visitors and in that role will evaluate a ward under guardianship and complete a written evaluation report. For each court visitor report, students will evaluate the ward’s living conditions, social conditions, physical conditions, and overall care. Students also will assess whether the guardianship should be continued or whether less-restrictive alternatives may be available that would provide adequate supports for the ward, as well as whether the particular individual who is appointed guardian should continue to have authority to act on behalf of the ward. Guardianship is a court-created entity that gives someone the legal right to take care of an incapacitated person and make decisions on his or her behalf. The court visitor program enables the probate court to have first-hand information about the condition of wards whose guardianships are under the court’s supervision.
Organization
Travis County Probate Court No. 1
The probate court is a statutory probate court headed by an elected judge, the Honorable Guy Herman. The probate court probates the wills of deceased persons, declares the heirs of deceased persons who die without a will, establishes guardianships for incapacitated persons and minors, supervises court-ordered involuntary mental health commitments, and administers all eminent domain cases initiated in Travis County.
Project Details
- Project Start Date
September 2023
- Approximate hours of work requested
- Students should expect to spend 1-3 hours on each visit and evaluation report; students must commit to completing a minimum of 5 court visitor evaluations during the fall semester for a total minimum time commitment of 6-16 hours, including training
- Training
- Friday, September 22, 1pm-2pm (Law School, TNH 3.127)
- Skills used
- Interviewing; investigation; community engagement; document preparation
- Project location
- Various locations in Travis County where wards reside; reimbursement available for local travel expenses
- Address
- 200 West 8th Street, Austin, TX 78701
- Number of student volunteers requested
- 5
- Class year preference
- 1L, 2L, 3L, LLM
- Required skills
- None; student volunteers will be required to complete a background check before they are appointed as a court visitor
- To Apply
- Register at https://probate9-22-23.eventbrite.com