Nomination of Guardian for Minor Children

Draft a jurisdiction-specific nomination stating parental intent and satisfying state execution formalities.

Prerequisites

Gather before drafting:

Governing state and statutory basis for parental nomination [VERIFY].
Parent(s) legal names, addresses, authority to nominate for each child.
Each minor child: full legal name, DOB, relationship, current residence.
Primary and alternate guardian(s): contact details, relationship, willingness confirmed.
Existing custody orders or parental-rights constraints.
Existing trusts/UTMA accounts; whether guardian of person and estate are the same.
State execution requirements: witness count/qualifications, notarization, self-proving affidavit [VERIFY].

Drafting Workflow

1. Header and Preamble

Title: "Nomination of Guardian for Minor Children."
Identify nominating parent(s), capacity, voluntary intent, statutory authority.
Cite governing statute: "[State] [Code Section] [VERIFY]."

2. Parties and Children

Populate identification table:

| Role | Full Legal Name | Address | DOB | Relationship/Authority | |------|----------------|---------|-----|------------------------| | Parent 1 | | | | | | Parent 2 (if any) | | | | | | Child 1 | | | | | | Child 2+ | | | | |

3. Guardian Nominations

List primary and alternates in order of succession:

| Priority | Name | Address | Contact | Relationship | Willingness | |----------|------|---------|---------|--------------|-------------| | Primary | | | | | | | First Alternate | | | | | | | Second Alternate | | | | | |

4. Eligibility and Court Preference

Confirm statutory eligibility and request court give substantial weight to nomination consistent with the child's best interests. Cite state law [VERIFY].

5. Effectiveness Triggers

[ ] Death of both parents (joint nomination) or sole nominating parent.
[ ] Incapacity standard per state definition or medical certification [VERIFY].
[ ] Temporary vs permanent incapacity distinguished.
[ ] Rights of any other legal parent and existing custody orders acknowledged.

6. Scope of Guardian Authority

Parental guidance preferences (not court orders):

[ ] Residence and daily care.
[ ] Education and extracurricular decisions.
[ ] Medical, dental, mental health decisions.
[ ] Travel and relocation preferences.
[ ] Religious upbringing (if applicable).
[ ] Maintaining relationships with specified relatives.

7. Financial Coordination

[ ] State whether guardian of person is also guardian of estate.
[ ] Identify trust(s) by name/date if applicable.
[ ] Expectation for cooperation with trustee/UTMA custodian.
[ ] Standard-of-living guidance if desired.

8. Co-Guardian and Succession

If co-guardians named: decision-making rule (joint/majority/tie-break), handling of divorce, incapacity, or disagreement among co-guardians.

9. Revocation and Amendment

Include revocation language: nomination may be revoked or amended by signed writing with same formalities or by a subsequent nomination expressly superseding prior ones. Consider automatic revocation on divorce for spouse nominee.

10. Duration

Terminates at majority age, emancipation, or court order.

11. Execution and Attestation

[ ] Signature lines for each parent with printed names and dates.
[ ] Witness count and qualifications per statute [VERIFY].
[ ] Notarial acknowledgment in state-compliant form [VERIFY].
[ ] Self-proving affidavit if allowed [VERIFY].

12. Client Transmittal Note (Optional)

Short memo covering: purpose, non-self-executing nature, storage guidance, nominee notification, update triggers.

Pitfalls

Never imply court must appoint nominee — use best-interest language only.
Verify execution formalities — witness count, notarization, statutory forms vary by state [VERIFY].
No nomination without authority — confirm nominating parent has legal authority over each child.
Disqualified nominees — check for statutory disqualification or protective-order issues before naming.
Consistent terminology — distinguish "guardian of the person" from "guardian of the estate" throughout.
Use exact legal names from IDs/birth certificates; use gender-neutral language.