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Mississippi Advance Directive

A Mississippi Advance Directive is a legal document that outlines your wishes in relation to medical care, such as your refusal or acceptance of specific medical treatments and procedures, and/or the selection of a chosen healthcare agent.

The individual making an Advance Directive is known as the "principal," and the person or entity obtaining permission to carry out the principal's wishes is known as the "agent." Suited for Mississippi residents, this Advance Directive can be used in Harrison County, DeSoto County, Hinds County, and in all other parts of the state. Any Mississippi Advance Directive from Rocket Lawyer can be modified for your specific circumstances. This official legal document will provide proof of your decisions to healthcare institutions, and it will certify that your selected agent has the authority to make choices for you.

It is simple and easy to document your medical preferences with a free Mississippi Advance Directive template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make the document - Answer a few simple questions, and we will do the rest
2. Send and share - Review your wishes with your healthcare agent(s) or seek legal help
3. Sign it and make it legal - Optional or not, witnesses/notarization are encouraged

This method, in many cases, would be notably less time-consuming than finding and hiring a traditional law firm. If necessary, you can fill out this Advance Directive on behalf of your spouse, an elderly parent, or another family member, and then help them sign it after you've drafted it. Please remember that for an Advance Directive to be accepted as legally valid, the principal must be a mentally competent adult when they sign. In the event that the principal has already been declared legally incompetent, a conservatorship may be required. When managing such a scenario, it's important for you to connect with a lawyer.

Every adult should have an Advance Healthcare Directive (both a Living Will and a Healthcare Power of Attorney). Although it can be difficult to think about, there may come a time when you are not able to make your own healthcare decisions. Common situations in which it might be useful to make or update your Advance Directive include:

• You've been given a terminal diagnosis
• You are facing the possibility of surgery or period of hospitalization
• You have plans to live in a residential care facility
• You are aging or have declining health

Whether your Mississippi Advance Directive has been generated as part of a forward-looking plan or made as a result of a change in your health, notarization and witnesses are highly recommended as a best practice for protecting this document and/or your agent if a third party questions their authority.

Making an Advance Directive is usually straightforward; however, you or your agent(s) could need legal advice. Depending on whom you reach out to, some lawyers will not even agree to review a document that they didn't work on. An easier approach to consider is to get help via attorney services at Rocket Lawyer. With a Premium membership, you can ask for guidance from an experienced attorney or send additional questions about your Advance Directive. Rocket Lawyer is here to help.

The fees associated with finding and working with your average lawyer to produce an Advance Directive might add up to anywhere from $200 to $1,000, depending on where you are. Rocket Lawyer is not your average Advance Directive template website. With our service, anyone under a Premium membership can take advantage of up to 40% in savings when hiring an On Call attorney.

With a membership, you may edit it, save it as a Word or PDF file, and/or print it. To turn your Mississippi Medical Directive into a true legal document, you will need to sign it. Your agent(s) and care providers should receive copies of your final document.

The specifications and restrictions governing Advance Directives are different by state; however, in Mississippi, your Advance Directive needs to be signed by two witnesses or a notary public. At least one of the witnesses to your Advance Directive form should not be a relative, spouse, adopted child, heir, or any other beneficiary. Your healthcare provider and employees of your healthcare facility are also restricted from being witnesses. As a basic principle, your witnesses must not be under the age of 18, and none should simultaneously be named as your agent.

Legal references for an Advance Directive in Mississippi: Title 41, Ch. 41