Connecticut Lawyers Gryk & Frolich, LLC

Our practice areas include Probate Law that includes estates, wills, living wills, powers of attorneys, conservatorship, stepparent adoptions or guardianships, and Family Law which includes divorces, Ex-Parte applications in emergency situations, Petitions for Custody and Child Support, Legal Separation and Petitions for Paternity.

Probate

Let us help you in this difficult time to probate the estate of those you cared so much about, or you may need to plan, and Hartford Divorce Lawyer Evelyn Gryk Frolich can draft your estate documents or have concerns regarding guardianship.

Wills, Living Wills, Power of Attorneys – At various life stages, our interests differ, and we are willing to prepare a will that identifies the heirs and property that would be important to include in your estate plan. During this process, we discuss including alternate beneficiaries in the event one you have named has predeceased you. We suggest you also consider preparing a living will naming someone as your healthcare agent, one who can make medical decisions for you in the event of your incapacity. You are able to specify if you are an organ donor and if a conservator is required at some point, whom you prefer to be named to take care of your needs. You decide who you trust and rely upon to do what must be done. We also recommend you prepare a power of attorney to appoint the person(s) who will take care of your affairs in the event of your incapacity. You may also name an alternate if that person is unavailable or predeceased you. They are only directed to act on your behalf, not their own. If a beneficiary is concerned about the administration of your estate, they can request probate court involvement.

Estate – When a deceased person dies their assets cannot be transferred to another until their estate is probated unless it is an account with a named beneficiary or a survivorship asset. There may have been a will, or perhaps there was no will located. It may be a larger asset estate or a smaller one. If an estate needs to be probated, let Gryk & Frolich LLC represent the estate in preparing the documents necessary to probate the assets and determine what liabilities need to be paid before the distribution of the proceeds to the beneficiaries.

Guardianship, Stepparent Adoption, Plenary Guardianship, Conservatorship:

Guardianship- If a parent is unable to care for a minor child or children due to incapacity or other circumstances, the parent can request a voluntary guardian be appointed to make the decisions and manage the medical care of the minor child(ren) until the parent is able to resume their legal responsibilities.

If a child or grandchild is at risk, a grandparent or other interested person may request the court appoint a guardian. There must be sufficient concerns as parenting is a fundamental right.

Stepparent adoption- If a child has a parent who has not been a significant person in their life or their other parent is deceased, the child may have a significant emotional connection with a stepparent if their remaining parent is married. The child and the stepparent can develop strong bonds. In the event the other parent is unwilling or incapable of parenting the child, a termination of parental rights will be filed prior to a stepparent adoption petition. A stepparent adoption petition can be filed regardless of whether the other parent’s rights have been terminated or if the other parent is deceased. We can help you through this process.

Plenary Guardianship- If a person with special needs is at risk or incapable of managing their own financial or other responsibilities, the probate court can appoint a plenary guardian to help the person with special needs. Generally, the person’s family member will request and accept this position. Our law firm has extensive experience in this field and can help you with that probate procedure.

Conservatorship- If someone is incapable of handling their own affairs and has a properly executed power of attorney, they may not need a conservator. However, in the event they refuse to permit the appointed agent to act on their behalf, perhaps because of dementia, or if they do not have a power of attorney directing a specific person to manage their affairs, a conservator can be appointed by the Probate Court. Generally, the conservator is a concerned family member but if there are no such family members available that are able or available to take on this responsibility, the Probate court will appoint one. The conservator remains under the Probate Court’s supervision and is required to file regular accountings of your finances. We can represent you in this process.

Family Law

Whether you are married or unmarried, have children or are childless, have real property or personal property, Gryk & Frolich LLC can represent your interests.

Divorce or legal separation- In a divorce or legal separation, Hartford Divorce Lawyer, Evelyn Gryk Frolich represents your interests. Many people are unaware that the traditional litigation model is not the only available approach to reaching a settlement and finalizing your divorce or legal separation. You can also utilize a mediator to mediate your divorce or legal separation, or you can enter into the Collaborative Divorce Process. A consultation with Atty. Evelyn Gryk Frolich includes a discussion of the various methods to help you decide which approach is best for your family. Atty. Evelyn Gryk Frolich can act as a neutral third party to guide you to a settlement in a mediation if that is the approach you and your spouse decide works best for this family. Atty. Evelyn Gryk Frolich can also represent you in the Collaborative Process which permits you to avoid court involvement and direct your future yourselves. Whatever approach you and your spouse decide upon, she recognizes this is a difficult, emotional time for everyone and will listen to your concerns and guide you through the process.

Petitions for Custody- Once a relationship falters and breaks down, it can be much more difficult to raise your child(ren), leaving your adult issues to the side. It can be an emotional time for unmarried parents as one may have moved on before the other and may have differing parenting styles. Atty. Evelyn Gryk Frolich can educate you on your rights and responsibilities, represent your interests in obtaining court orders for custody, a parenting access plan with your child(ren) and determining the child support order. There are many other factors to consider and include in any order such as post-majority educational support, vacations, whether those are taken in state, out of state or out of the country. Rely on the years of legal experience of our family law attorney to help you through this major life event.