The petition shall contain a plain and simple statement that the patient or the patient’s representatives may file a request for a hearing with a hearing examiner appointed to hold hearings pursuant to Code Section 37-3-83 within 15 days after service of the petition, that the patient has a right to counsel at the hearing, that the patient or the patient’s representatives may apply immediately to the court to have counsel appointed if the patient cannot afford counsel, and that the court will appoint counsel for the patient unless the patient indicates in writing that the patient does not desire to be represented by counsel or has made the patient’s own arrangements for counsel.
History. Code 1981, § 37-3-93 , enacted by Ga. L. 1986, p. 1098, § 5; Ga. L. 1991, p. 1059, § 18; Ga. L. 1992, p. 1902, § 11; Ga. L. 1996, p. 6, § 37.
Law reviews.
For comment, “1986 Amendments to Georgia’s Mental Health Statutes: The Latest Attempt to Provide a Solution to the Problem of the Chronically Mentally Ill,” see 36 Emory L.J. 1313 (1987).