A Power of Attorney allows you to choose people to manage or deal with your affairs or specific projects for you. Your Attorney can be given a general power to do everything you do on your behalf or you can restrict the power to certain tasks.  

Power of Attorneys can be useful if you are travelling abroad or are away for long periods.  They allow others to conveniently deal with your affairs if you are too busy or likely to be unavailable to complete paperwork or specific time precious tasks.

Our expert lawyers will advise you and help you to draft the most appropriate Power of Attorney to meet your particular needs.

Lasting Power of Attorney

It is hard to think of a time when you or a loved might no longer be able to manage financial or personal affairs without help. Future illnesses can render us unable either physically or mentally to make decisions or to function independently without assistance from family, friends or outside experts.

It is always worth planning in advance for such a possibility. We can give you expert  advice and help you to make sure that people you know and trust are in place and able to deal with your affairs for you in the event you are not able to do so yourself. 

The legal document which allows those you choose to act on your behalf regarding your affairs when you are not able to do so yourself due to your incapacity is a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). There are two types of LPA - a Property and Affairs LPA and a Personal Welfare LPA.

Property and Affairs LPA

By this document your Attorneys can deal with your financial matters and assets for you. It allows them to: 

• Buy or sell property 
• Pay bills 
• Claim benefits, pensions & allowances 
• Control bank & building society accounts 
• Buy appropriate gifts for family members 
• Make donations to charities

In everything they do relating to your financial matters and your assets they must always act in your best interests. 

Health and Welfare LPA

This allows your Attorneys to make choices for you about your personal healthcare and welfare and medical treatment.   It allows them to:

• Refuse or consent to medical treatment and medication 
• Decide where you live dependant on your needs 
• Decide upon issues concerning your day to day care

Without a Health and Welfare LPA, your family and friends do not have any legal rights to determine the medical treatment you receive or the care you receive.  They are not even allowed to make decisions or take action for you even when they want to and when it is clear that it would be in your best interests. 

By putting a Health and Welfare LPA in place you will have the peace of mind that in the event you cannot deal with such personal issues yourself somebody you trust will do so for you.   Your chosen Attorneys must in such things always act in your best interests.

How we can help you

Both types of LPA are complicated and it is very important that you fully understand them and that your Attorneys are aware of what they can and cannot do on your behalf.  Our expert lawyers will provide you and your Attorneys with easily understood advice. We will ensure that your LPA is completed correctly and that all of the necessary registration procedures are properly sorted out on your behalf.   

Any member of our specialist team will visit you at home or any place you want to take your instructions, you do not have to come to our offices if you are unable to do so. 

Contact Us Now

For further information or to arrange an appointment contact a member of the Attorneyship team on 0115 9 100 200 or email enquiries@actons.co.uk or fill in the contact form below.