At Terence Ray Solicitors we provide legal assistance with the preparation of Powers of Attorney, including Lasting Powers of Attorney and General Powers of Attorney. These legal documents allow a person to appoint someone they trust to act on their behalf in relation to financial, legal or personal matters.
Powers of Attorney are commonly used to ensure that important decisions can still be made if a person becomes unable to manage their affairs themselves, or where assistance is needed for practical reasons such as managing matters while abroad.
Our solicitors assist clients with preparing the appropriate form of Power of Attorney and ensuring that the document reflects the client’s wishes and complies with the relevant legal requirements.
A Lasting Power of Attorney allows a person to appoint one or more attorneys to make decisions on their behalf if they lose the mental capacity to do so in the future.
This type of Power of Attorney must comply with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before it can be used.
There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney:
This allows the appointed attorney to manage financial matters such as bank accounts, property, investments and payment of bills.
This allows the appointed attorney to make decisions about medical treatment, care arrangements and other personal welfare matters if the donor loses capacity.
At Terence Ray Solicitors we assist with preparing the LPA documentation, advising on the appointment of attorneys and completing the registration process with the Office of the Public Guardian.
A General Power of Attorney allows a person to authorise another individual to act on their behalf in relation to financial or legal matters.
This type of Power of Attorney is often used where a person requires assistance managing their affairs for a limited period of time, for example while they are abroad or otherwise unavailable to deal with certain matters.
Unlike a Lasting Power of Attorney, a General Power of Attorney does not require registration with the Office of the Public Guardian and cannot be used if the person granting the authority loses mental capacity.
Our solicitors can prepare a General Power of Attorney tailored to the client’s specific needs and ensure that the scope of authority granted is clearly defined.