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Maryland Living Will

A Maryland Living Will is a legal document that sets forth your wishes regarding medical care, such as your refusal of or request for a specific medical treatment or procedure, in addition to the optional appointment of a trusted healthcare agent.

The individual making a Living Will is called the "principal," while the individuals or entities obtaining authority to carry out the principal's wishes are known as "agents." Suited for residents of Maryland, this Living Will is made for use in Baltimore County, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and in every other county across the state. Each Maryland Living Will form from Rocket Lawyer can be fully personalized to address your particular circumstances. As a result of this legal document, your healthcare providers will have a point of reference for your preferences, and your agent(s) will be able to provide confirmation that they have been authorized to make choices for you.

It's very easy to document your medical wishes with a free Maryland Living Will template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make your Living Will - Answer a few general questions, and we will do the rest
2. Send and share it - Review it with your healthcare agent(s) or get legal help
3. Sign and make it legal - Mandatory or not, witnesses and notarization are a best practice

This solution is, in most cases, much less expensive and less time-consuming than finding and working with a traditional attorney. If necessary, you may prepare a Living Will on behalf of a family member, and then have them sign once you've drafted it. Keep in mind that for a Living Will to be considered legally valid, the principal must be an adult who is mentally competent at the time of signing. In the event that the principal has already been declared legally incompetent, a court-appointed conservatorship might be required. When dealing with this scenario, it is important to talk to an attorney.

Everyone over 18 years old ought to have a Living Will. Although it's painful to think about, a day will likely come when you can no longer make important decisions on your own. Here are a few typical occasions in which it might be useful to make or update your Living Will:

• You are managing a terminal illness
• You will be hospitalized for surgery
• You are preparing to live in a community care facility
• You are aging or have declining health

Whether this Maryland Living Will is being created in response to a recent change in your health or as part of a long-term plan, witnesses and/or notarization can often help to protect your agent if their authority is disputed.

Making a Living Will is typically simple to do, but you could need legal advice. It will vary depending on whom you approach, but quite often, some attorneys may not even agree to review a document if they were not the author. An easier approach would be through Rocket Lawyer attorney services. By signing up for a Premium membership, you will be able to request feedback from an experienced attorney or send other questions about your Living Will. We are always here to support you.

The cost of hiring a traditional legal provider to make a Living Will could add up to anywhere between $200 and $1,000. Rocket Lawyer offers much more than most other Living Will template websites that you might find. As a Rocket Lawyer Premium member, you can get up to 40% in savings when hiring an attorney.

With a Premium membership, you may edit it, download it, and/or print it out. In order to make your Maryland Living Will truly legal, you must sign it. Be sure to give a final copy of your signed document to your agent(s), care providers, and other impacted parties.

The specific requirements are different in each state; however, in Maryland, your document requires the signatures of two witnesses. At least one of the witnesses should be someone who is not your heir or beneficiary. As a general principle, witnesses will need to be over the age of 18, and none of them should also be your healthcare agent.

See legal references for a Living Will in Maryland: §5–601 to 607