(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d), the court, in appointing a conservator, shall consider persons otherwise qualified in the following order of priority:

(1) a conservator, guardian of the estate, or other like fiduciary appointed or recognized by an appropriate court of any other jurisdiction in which the protected person resides;

(2) a person nominated as conservator by the respondent, including the respondent's most recent nomination made in a durable power of attorney, if the respondent has attained 14 years of age and at the time of the nomination had sufficient capacity to express a preference;

(3) an agent appointed by the respondent to manage the respondent's property under a durable power of attorney;

(4) the spouse of the respondent;

(5) an adult child of the respondent;

(6) a parent of the respondent;

(7) an adult with whom the respondent has resided for more than six months before the filing of the petition;

(8) an adult who is related to the respondent by blood, adoption, or marriage; and

(9) any other adult or a professional conservator.

(b) A person having priority under paragraph (a), clause (1), (4), (5), or (6), may designate in writing a substitute to serve instead and thereby transfer the priority to the substitute.

(c) The court, acting in the best interest of the protected person, may decline to appoint a person having priority and appoint a person having a lower priority or no priority. With respect to persons having equal priority, the court shall select the one it considers best qualified.

(d) Any individual or agency which provides residence, custodial care, medical care, employment training, or other care or services for which they receive a fee may not be appointed as conservator unless related to the respondent by blood, marriage, or adoption.

History: 2003 c 12 art 1 s 52; 2009 c 150 s 14; 2015 c 11 s 1