What type of lawyer?

[Anonymous]

Sigh, MIL is signing documents without reading them, being manipulated to agree to pay judgements up to seven figures for brother as he tells her not to worry she’ll never need to pay and doesn’t need a lawyer. He of course has a lawyer and history of getting weak family members to enter into business contracts where they bear all the risk and he receives all the benefit. We are worried that he will lose his appeal and the creditors she is obligated to will simply seize her liquid assets wiping her out. Of course her brother has his assets protected and shielded.

DH thinks we need a bankruptcy/ debt collection lawyer but this doesn’t seem correct to me as this attorney’s cases are primarily consumer debt collection.

[Anonymous]

Elder law. Get her declared incompetent and try to get the contracts voided.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Elder law. Get her declared incompetent and try to get the contracts voided.

This, but the problem comes if she is cognitively fine, or too early in the decline to be detected. Our experience has been they have the right to make their own terrible decisions at this stage. You can get adult protective services involved if you think this is a form of elder abuse, but again, if she is deemed cognitively fine not much happens. Talk to an elder care attorney, but I suspect unless parent is imapired as per tests not much they can do.

I have seen it in my own family and with a close friend's family. Also, prepare yourself for this insanity in case it happens. For both of us, the one taking advantage of the elder becomes the favorite and considered most loving and the family turns against you for trying to protect the elder. In both our cases our mothers no longer speak to us and they continue to bleed money for the sibling taking advantage. It's like they have this twisted need to feel needed/codependency even if they are taken advantage of and by showing concern we make them feel like something is wrong with them and it brings them shame and anger. Also, don't be surprised if the sibling taking advantage has a fit when asked to deal with an elder emergencies no matter how many you dealt with on your own in the past.