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Alabama Advance Directive

An Alabama Advance Directive is a legal document that lays out your preferences regarding medical care, such as your request for or refusal of certain medical treatments, and/or the selection of a chosen decision maker.

The person making an Advance Directive is known as the "principal," while the person or entity receiving permission to carry out the principal's wishes is called the "agent." Designed for Alabama residents, this Advance Directive is made for use in Mobile County, Madison County, Jefferson County, and in all other regions in the state. Each Alabama Advance Directive from Rocket Lawyer can be fully personalized to address your specific scenario. This legal document provides proof of your preferences to healthcare facilities, and it will certify that your agents have been given the authority to act in your interest when you are not able.

It's fast and easy to record your medical preferences using a free Alabama Advance Directive template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make your Advance Directive - Provide a few general details, and we will do the rest
2. Send or share it - Go over it with your healthcare agent or get legal advice
3. Sign it and make it legal - Mandatory or not, notarization/witnesses are encouraged

This solution, in many cases, would end up being notably less expensive than finding and hiring your average law firm. If needed, you can prepare this Advance Directive on behalf of a relative, and then help that person sign once you've drafted it. Please keep in mind that for this document to be legally valid, the principal must be an adult who is mentally competent when they sign. If the principal has already been declared legally incompetent, a conservatorship may be necessary. In this situation, it is important to connect with a lawyer.

Every person over 18 should have an Advance Healthcare Directive (both a Living Will and a Healthcare Power of Attorney) in place. While it's challenging to acknowledge, a day will likely come when you are no longer able to make healthcare decisions on your own. Here are a few typical circumstances where it would be helpful to make or update your Advance Directive:

• You are undergoing a medical procedure requiring anesthesia
• You are aging or have declining health
• You've been diagnosed with a terminal illness
• You have plans to move into a residential care facility

Regardless of whether this Alabama Advance Directive has been produced as a result of a recent change in your health or as part of a forward-looking plan, notarization and witnesses can help to protect your agent if anyone disputes their power and authority. In Alabama, this document is not valid if you are pregnant.

Making an Advance Directive is normally easy to do; however, you or your agent may need advice. Getting a second opinion on the document might take a long time if you try to do it by yourself. Another approach might be through the Rocket Lawyer On Call^® attorney network. Premium members can request a document review from an experienced attorney or pose other questions. As always, you can live confidently with Rocket Lawyer by your side.

The cost of finding and hiring a law firm to produce an Advance Directive could range anywhere between $200 and $1,000. Different from many other websites you might come across, Rocket Lawyer offers much more than an Advance Directive template. If you ever need assistance from a lawyer, your Rocket Lawyer membership provides up to a 40% discount when you hire an attorney.

Alongside each Advance Directive, there's a series of next steps you can take to finalize your document. Feel free to take any of the following actions with your document: editing it, printing it, or signing it. Finally, your agent(s) and care providers should receive a copy of your fully executed document.

The rules and restrictions governing Advance Directives are different in each state; however, in Alabama, your document requires two witnesses. Witnesses cannot be anyone who is responsible for the cost of your medical care, nor should they be a spouse/relative, heir, or any other beneficiary. As a basic rule, your witnesses should be at least 19 years old, and no witness should also be designated as your agent.

See legal references for an Advance Directive in Alabama: § 22-8A-4