About Sandra McCarthy

Sandra M. McCarthy, founder of A People’s Choice, has worked exclusively in the legal field since 1976. She served as the 2004-2005 President of CALDA (California Association of Legal Document Assistants). She obtained a Paralegal Certificate from the University of California, Santa Barbara. During her career in the legal field, she has worked as a freelance paralegal, law office manager and paralegal studies teacher. She has co-authored numerous legal publications and written hundreds of self-help legal articles and is dedicated to the expansion of affordable, low-cost, self-help document preparation.

How Independent Adoption in California Works

The adoption process has been around for thousands of years, with roots extending to the ancient Roman Empire and beyond. This legal process establishes a parent-child relationship between adoptive parents and an adopted child. If your family is planning on becoming an adoptive family and you're a resident of California rather than the Roman Empire, [...]

What You Should Know about Mental Incapacity Divorce in California

Divorce isn’t easy. You have to agree on difficult topics like custody of children and division of property, all while dealing with painful emotions. A mental incapacity divorce in California complicates things even further. It's not enough to show that your spouse acts erratically or irrationally; they have to fit very specific criteria for [...]

What Is a Conservatorship Account?

According to the National Council on Disability, there are an estimated 1.3 million Americans under conservatorships and guardianships right now. All kinds of people can be subject to such an arrangement—everyone from elderly infirm individuals to celebrities like Britney Spears. If you’re involved in one of those 1.3 million cases as a conservator (or are [...]

A Guide to Public Guardian Conservatorship in Los Angeles

If you have a loved one in LA who needs help, you may well find yourself googling "public guardian conservatorship Los Angeles." You're not alone; people seeking public guardian conservatorship for their ailing or at-risk family members and friends are commonplace in LA. To help you understand this legal process, we've crafted this guide to [...]

What Is Conservatorship Abuse?

In recent years, cases of conservatorship abuse have captured the public eye. Although conservatorship mostly applies to the elderly, any incapacitated individual above 18 years can end up in a conservatorship arrangement. And with more attention on conservatorships in general, many people worry about conservatorship abuse. If a conservator financially or physically abuses a conservatee, [...]