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My mother became angry during one of her diabetic swings in glucose and literally kick my sister, her husband and son out of her house at 2:00 am. They called me and I of course indicated they could stay with my family on the way home since they lived far from my mother and were visiting at her request. At that time both my sister and I were POA. About two months later, my mother change the POA to an individual who cleaned her home and was a recipient of Medicare due to a claimed disability. Within six months friends and neighbors began contactlng my sister and I expressing concerns. Because mother lives in a small town the reputation of the lady is known, and we can possibly with the right approach get mom to change her mind. My main question is as initially stated when my mother went to the same attorney she has used for years should or could he have said or done anything towards opening the door to allowing mom to rethink her decision?

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Just this week a public guardian in town was sentenced to prison for defrauding four people out of $200k. Can't count on anything these days.
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If your mother were behaving irrationally when she was in the act of giving him instructions, it might have given her lawyer pause. But there's a limit to how far he can go when he's giving advice. Essentially he would either have to think she was not in her right mind, in which case he couldn't act on her instructions at all; or he would have to be satisfied that she was of sound mind, in which case he must do as she says.

So in this case, say he raised an eyebrow at her choice of new POA and said "really? Is this lady a fit and proper person? Are you sure you can trust her to act for you?" and your mother told him to stop the backchat and get on with it... not much he can do.

And, of course, he can't discuss her affairs with you. But he can read or hear any concerns you wish to express to him: you could do worse than explain why you'd like him to suggest she reconsider.
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It isn't the attorney's responsibility to do any in depth investigation of a client's wishes beyond asking some basic questions as to why the change is desired, what your mother knows about this person, etc.

Guardians in this area have also fleeced their charges, running up costs for house improvements as well as curtailing access to friends.
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Ask your local bar association.
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Your best recourse is to petition the county Surrogate's Court for a court appointed Guardian. Your mother is not behaving rationally and she will not agree to a change. Don't blame the lawyer, he is not qualified to evaluate her mental status. Take it to the Judge, who will appoint an independent MD who specializes in mental competency evaluations. If the JUDGE determines mom needs a Guardian, he will appoint only a person who has been fingerprinted, background and credit checked and promises to report to the courts on a regular basis.
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