Lasting Power of Attorney

Have you thought about what might happen if you become incapable of looking after your own affairs or who should make decisions about your health and medical treatment if you can’t? A Power of Attorney can help.

Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) allow you to make provision for someone else to make important decisions for you when you are not able to make them yourself.

We can advise on what an LPA means for you and ensure that it is properly registered so there will not be any doubt about who has your authority to make decisions for you if the time comes.

There are two forms – one for Property and Financial Decisions and another for your Healthand Welfare. These cannot be used until they have been registered with theOffice of the Public Guardian.

We are also happy to store the documents for you in our safe until your attorneys need to use them. We don't charge for storage. This gives you and your family peace of mind that they will be prepared and able to make decisions if the worst should happen.

We always encourage you to have a Lasting Power of Attorney in place because serious illness or injury can strike unexpectedly. If a member of your family or a partner loses mental capacity and there is no registered Lasting Power ofAttorney in place, the inability to make decisions about your welfare or to access your money will make an extremely difficult time even harder for your loved ones.

We will advise you about what making an LPA means for you, and prepare the forms for you and get the documents registered.  

Appointment of a deputy by the Court of Protection

If you don't have LPAs and you become incapable of making your own decisions, we can help a family member make an application to the Court of Protection to be appointed asa "deputy" to manage your affairs. The Court of Protection is a specialist Court for all issues relating to people who lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves.  This is amore expensive, complex and time consuming process so it really is better to put LPAs in place if you can.