Matthew Carucci is a Delaware attorney who represents clients in adult guardianship matters.

His guardianship practice focuses on situations in which a person needs legal authority to act for another adult who is unable to adequately manage certain personal, financial, or other important matters independently.

Matt helps clients understand when adult guardianship may be appropriate, how the Delaware guardianship process works, what information may be required, and what responsibilities come with serving as a guardian.

His practice is specifically focused on adult guardianship rather than child custody or guardianship of minors.

Adult guardianship is a legal process through which a court may appoint another person to act for an adult who needs assistance with certain decisions or responsibilities.

The need for guardianship can arise when an adult is no longer able to adequately manage important matters and there is no other arrangement that fully addresses the situation.

These cases often involve parents or other adult family members.

The central questions may include:

• Whether guardianship is necessary.
• Who can ask the court to establish guardianship.
• Who may serve as guardian.
• What evidence or documentation is needed.
• What authority the guardian would receive.
• Whether the guardianship concerns personal matters, property, or both.
• Whether an existing power of attorney already provides sufficient authority.

Matt helps clients work through these questions within the Delaware adult guardianship process.

Many guardianship matters begin when a family member recognizes that an adult may need more assistance than the family can provide informally.

An adult child may be concerned about a parent. A sibling or another relative may recognize that important personal or financial matters are no longer being handled adequately.

Family involvement alone does not automatically create legal authority to act for another adult.

When formal authority is necessary, a guardianship proceeding may be required.

Matt works with families who need to understand whether adult guardianship is the appropriate legal process and what steps are required to pursue it.

Adult guardianship is established through a court process.

A person seeking guardianship must bring the matter before the appropriate Delaware court and provide the information necessary for the court to evaluate the request.

Matt helps clients understand:

• How the guardianship process begins.
• What must be filed.
• What information the court may need.
• What role the proposed guardian plays.
• What happens as the proceeding moves forward.

For someone who has never been involved in a guardianship matter, these requirements can be unfamiliar.

Matt’s role is to explain the process and help the client complete the necessary legal steps in the proper order.

A concern that another adult needs help is not, by itself, the complete basis for a guardianship proceeding.

The court must receive information that allows it to evaluate the adult’s circumstances and the guardianship being requested.

Matt helps clients identify and organize the evidence and documentation relevant to starting and supporting an adult guardianship case.

The information required depends on the facts of the particular case and the type of guardianship authority being requested.

Understanding those requirements early helps define what the guardianship proceeding is asking the court to establish.

Adult guardianship frequently arises when an adult child becomes concerned about a parent’s ability to manage important matters independently.

In these situations, the family may already be providing substantial practical assistance. The remaining question is whether someone also needs legally recognized authority to act.

Matt handles guardianship matters involving adult parents and helps clients understand the difference between helping a family member informally and having legal authority to make or carry out particular decisions.

A formal guardianship proceeding may be necessary when family involvement alone does not provide the authority required.

Adult guardianship can involve different types of legal authority.

A guardian of the person and a guardian of the property have different areas of responsibility.

The distinction matters because an adult may need assistance in one area, multiple areas, or both.

Matt helps clients understand which guardianship issues are involved in their situation and what responsibilities may be associated with the authority being requested.

The goal of the proceeding is not simply to appoint someone called a guardian. It is to establish the legal authority appropriate to the adult’s circumstances.

Guardianship and power of attorney can both allow one person to act for another, but they are different legal arrangements.

A power of attorney may already provide authority for certain decisions or transactions.

In other situations, the authority created by an existing document may not adequately address the problem the family is facing.

Families considering guardianship therefore need to understand:

• What authority already exists.
• Whether that authority remains sufficient.
• What additional authority is actually needed.
• Whether guardianship is the appropriate legal process for establishing it.

Matt works with clients who need to determine how an existing power of attorney relates to a possible adult guardianship matter.

Family members do not always agree about whether adult guardianship is necessary or who should serve as guardian.

Those disagreements can become part of the guardianship proceeding.

The central legal issue, however, remains the guardianship itself: whether legal authority should be established, what type of authority is appropriate, and who should receive it.

Matt handles guardianship matters in which family disagreement is part of the circumstances surrounding the case.

A disagreement among relatives does not by itself determine whether guardianship is appropriate or who should serve.

A guardianship proceeding also requires consideration of who should serve if the court determines that guardianship is appropriate.

A family may already have a particular person in mind.

The proposed guardian must nevertheless be considered as part of the legal process, and serving as guardian carries responsibilities that extend beyond simply helping a relative.

Matt helps clients understand how the proposed guardian fits into the proceeding and what responsibilities may follow from an appointment.

Matt’s guardianship practice may be particularly relevant when:

• You need to file for adult guardianship in Delaware.
• You are concerned that an adult parent or another family member can no longer adequately manage important matters.
• You need to understand whether guardianship is appropriate.
• You need to know what evidence or documentation is required.
• You are trying to determine who can serve as guardian.
• You need to understand the difference between a guardian of the person and a guardian of the property.
• You are unsure whether an existing power of attorney provides sufficient authority.
• Family members disagree about whether guardianship is needed or who should serve.
• You need legal guidance through the Delaware adult guardianship process.

These situations share a common issue: someone may need formal legal authority to act for another adult.

Matt’s guardianship practice focuses on adults.

A matter involving custody of a child or guardianship of a minor is a different type of legal matter and is not the focus of this practice.

Making this distinction clear is important because the general term “guardianship lawyer” can refer to both adult and minor guardianship matters.

Matt’s practice is specifically centered on Delaware adult guardianship .

Adult guardianship and estate planning are separate legal processes, but both can involve questions about who has authority to act for another person.

Estate planning allows certain arrangements to be made in advance.

Guardianship is a court process used when legal authority must be established through a guardianship proceeding.

A person considering guardianship may therefore need to understand what planning documents already exist and whether those documents provide enough authority for the situation.

Learn more about Matt’s estate-planning practice 

Matt’s office is in Wilmington, Delaware, and his guardianship practice focuses on adult guardianship matters under Delaware law.

The legal process, required documentation, court procedures, and authority associated with guardianship are tied to the Delaware matter involved.

Matt helps clients navigate that Delaware process and understand the responsibilities associated with seeking or serving in a guardianship role.

Adult guardianship can involve unfamiliar legal procedures along with important family responsibilities.

Matt’s approach is to make the legal process understandable.

Clients should know:

• What legal issue the guardianship is intended to address.
• What authority is being requested.
• What information is needed.
• What role the proposed guardian will have.
• What stage the proceeding is in.
• What needs to happen next.

The purpose of legal guidance is not simply to complete filings. It is to help the client understand the legal authority being requested and the responsibilities that come with it.

Matt has developed resources addressing common Delaware adult guardianship questions, including:

• How to file for adult guardianship.
• What evidence or documentation may be needed.
• Guardianship for an adult parent.
• The difference between guardianship and power of attorney.
• The difference between a guardian of the person and a guardian of the property.
• What happens when family members disagree about guardianship.
• Who may be appointed as guardian for an adult.

These resources address individual questions in greater detail, while this page defines the adult guardianship work at the center of Matt’s practice.

Learn more about Matt, his principal practice areas, and the Delaware legal matters he handles.

About Matthew Carucci 

See the client situations most closely aligned with Matt’s probate, adult guardianship, and estate-planning practice.

See who Matt helps 

Matt represents executors, administrators, and family members responsible for administering Delaware estates.

Learn more about Matt’s probate administration practice 

Matt helps clients create and update wills, trusts, and other estate-planning arrangements.

Learn more about Matt’s estate-planning practice 

If you need to establish adult guardianship in Delaware or need to determine what legal authority is appropriate for an adult family member, Matthew Carucci can help you understand the process and the next steps.

Contact Matt to discuss the situation and determine whether it falls within his adult guardianship practice.