Give Someone You Trust the Ability to Look After You, Should You Ever Lose the Ability to Do So Yourself.

If for any reason you ever lose 'mental capacity', and no longer have the ability to make decisions for yourself, then by appointing a relative or close friend as an 'Attorney' they will be able to make important decisions for you, to ensure you remain well looked after.

Remember, you can only put Power of Attorney in place while you still have mental capacity, and without Power of Attorney, banks and other institutions will not speak to your children or other close relatives.

If you have any concerns about losing mental capacity either now or in the future get in touch with us as soon as possible.

Please note: If a relative or close friend you care for has lost their mental capacity and had not appointed anyone with Power of Attorney please refer to our 'Court of Protection' page to find out what you need to do instead. Or if in doubt call our office and we will advise accordingly.

Whoever you appoint as your attorney will have the power to help you, including the ability to legally access your bank accounts, or even sell your home to pay for your welfare, should that ever become necessary.

Who Should You Appoint as Your Attorney?

Choosing who to appoint as your attorney is obviously a very important decision.

You definitely need to be quite selective, not only because of trust issues but also because some people are just not suited to dealing with paperwork, and it can be quite 'onerous'. It takes time to get things settled with banks and other institutions, and Attorneys need to keep good records too.

If you are unsure who to appoint, simply get in touch for an initial free consultation, and we can have a chat about the best person (or people) who you can appoint as your attorneys.

What Happens if you Lose Mental Capacity Without Having Appointed an Attorney?

If you lose mental capacity before you have appointed someone with Lasting Power of Attorney, it can put your family through a whole host of trials and tribulations, as they then have to try and secure a different kind of court order just so they can help you.

We have seen situations where people have been in long term relationships—including married couples—who have been unable to access their partner's money to pay for treatments, healthcare and so on... because the money has been held in a sole bank account.

Even if you are married and you have money in a sole account, your spouse cannot access that money without Power of Attorney. That situation can leave families in financial difficulty, and is certainly something you would want to avoid.

Although our Lasting Powers of Attorney clients are usually people who are entering old age, and have older children who they can appoint as attorneys, everyone we prepare Wills for is advised on Lasting Power of Attorney.

Lasting Power of Attorney can be assigned at any age, and with good reason—someone in their 30s and 40s is just as much at risk of life-changing accidents as an older person, as well as their still being the risk of strokes and other serious medical conditions.

You Can Bring your Family or Friend to Meet with Us.

During our meetings we are quite happy for you to bring your family with you. We can meet with all the people involved and draft the relevant forms. (And if there are any aspects we need to discuss in private, we will of course advise accordingly.)

One other thing—we do not need to send you to your G.P., because there are other people at our offices who can be asked to join the meeting to confirm you are of sound mental capacity, (which is part of the process.)

One key thing with assigning Powers of Attorney is that the forms have to be signed in a certain order, otherwise they will not be accepted by the court. We ensure they are signed correctly and register them with The Office of the Public Guardian.

At the end of the process you will be provided with certified copies, and we can safely  and securely store those here at our offices free of charge, indefinitely.

From that point onward you will have the peace of mind knowing that you will be looked after, should you ever lose the mental capacity to look after yourself—in future it will be easy for your family to ensure you are well cared for, without having to 'jump through hoops' or experience any financial difficulties themselves as a result.

Call us now (or fill out the form on this page) to request a FREE initial consultation.

We look forward to helping you quickly get this important document in place.