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Lasting Power of Attorney

Knowing you'll be looked after

Sadly many of us reach a point in our lives when we are no longer mentally capable of looking after our own welfare and finances. And this may not just be when we get older. As well as dementia, which affects 700,000 people in the UK, we can suffer from injuries or illnesses that affect our ability to look after our own affairs.

A Lasting Power of Attorney, or LPA, can be made by anyone aged 18 or over. It's a way of making sure that if you can no longer make decisions for yourself, you're well looked after and your affairs are handled the way you'd like them to be.

What an LPA means for you

There are two types of LPA - one for your property and affairs, and one for your personal welfare. The purpose of an LPA is to allow someone to make decisions for you if you lose mental capacity.

You can appoint up to 5 people you trust to look after your affairs. These people - your attorneys - are bound by law to use your assets for your benefit alone.

Registering your LPA

LPAs should normally be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before they become effective. Even when you have signed a Lasting Power of Attorney, you will still have absolute control of the decisions that affect you and your life until the document is registered.

If you don't make an LPA

If you haven't made an LPA and it becomes necessary for someone to make decisions about your welfare or finances for you, they will have to apply to the Office of the Public Guardian. The Public Guardian will then decide whether the applicant should be granted the Power of Attorney - or whether professional attorneys should handle your affairs instead.

How we can help with your LPA

If you would like to draw up an LPA for either your property and affairs or your welfare, or both, we can help. We're happy to:

• meet with you to explain in more detail how they work
• discuss your plans with you and do all the paperwork for you
• help you and your relatives with the registration and set up the procedures for taking over your affairs

So if you'd like to talk to us about making a Lasting Power of Attorney, or you'd like an information booklet, please do get in touch.

Living overseas?

We are specialists in winding up UK estates for relatives who live out of the country. If you have lost a family member in the UK, find out more about our probate services for those living overseas.