Legal Definitions - conservator

A conservator is a person or organization appointed by a court to manage the financial or daily life affairs of someone who has been deemed incompetent. This legal concept is called conservatorship, which is similar to guardianship. Conservatorships are governed by state laws and conservators owe fiduciary duties to their conservatees.

• An individual conservator may be appointed by a court to manage the finances of an elderly person with dementia.
• An organization conservator may be appointed by regulatory or statutory authority to manage the affairs of a person with a disability.
• In the case of Interest of S.M.A., the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services was appointed as a child's permanent managing conservator, while the child's mother was appointed as the child's possessory conservator.

These examples illustrate how conservators can be appointed to manage the affairs of individuals who are unable to do so themselves. The conservator has a legal responsibility to act in the best interests of the conservatee and to manage their affairs with care and diligence.