Health Care Proxy & Living Will Lawyer in New York City

As part of our Estate & Family Planning practice, we help clients put two related documents in place: a health care proxy, which names a person you trust to make medical decisions for you if you can't make them yourself, and a living will, your own written statement of what treatment you do or don't want — especially around life-sustaining care. Together, they answer the two questions that matter most in a medical crisis: who decides, and what they should decide. New York holds living wills to a strict evidentiary standard, so having your wishes clearly documented — not just discussed at the dinner table — genuinely matters.

Here’s how this typically works in New York:

1. You choose a health care agent and decide what you do and don't want when it comes to life-sustaining treatment.
2. We draft both documents together, so they work as one clear, consistent plan.
3. You sign with two adult witnesses present — your named agent can't be one of them.
4. We help you distribute copies to your agent, your doctor, and close family, so they're on hand when needed instead of filed away and forgotten.

• Before a medical emergency — you need mental capacity to sign these documents, so this isn't something you can put off until you need it
• When you turn 18, since your parents no longer automatically have legal authority over your medical decisions
• Before a scheduled surgery or major medical event
• If you don't currently have anyone with legal authority to make medical decisions on your behalf
• If your named agent has changed — through divorce, a move, or a death