Lasting Powers of Attorney
A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows you to appoint a person (or persons) that you trust to be able to make decisions on your behalf at a time in the future. It may be that you lose the mental capacity to make those decisions; or that you no longer wish to make those decisions yourself.
There are two different types of Lasting Power. The first concerns Health & Welfare and allows you to plan ahead by choosing one or more people to make decisions on your behalf regarding your personal health and welfare. These decisions can only be made by somebody else when you lack the capacity to make them for yourself; for example if you are unconscious or because of the onset of a medical condition such as dementia.
The second type of Lasting Power concerns Property & Financial Affairs. Your chosen attorney or attorneys will be able to make decisions concerning your finances whilst you still have capacity as well as when you lack capacity. For example, it may be easier for you to give someone this power to carry out tasks such as paying your bills; managing your everyday finances; or collecting your benefits. This might be easier for lots of reasons: you might find it difficult to get out and about or to talk on the telephone, or you might be out of the country for long periods of time.
If you would like us to prepare one or both of these forms on your behalf or would like an indication of our costs, please do hesitate to contact us on 0207 924 2919 or by email to tw@gibsonyoungsolicitors.com.
+44 (0)20 7924 2919