What will happen to your affairs in your lifetime if you become incapable of managing them? Very few of us think about this. It's not a pleasant thought to think that one day we could lose mental capacity through, for example, the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's. But sadly the inevitable fact is that most of us will be affected one way or another, either we will come to suffer a mentally debilitating illness, or this will happen to a close friend or relative.
The Office of the Public Guardian is encouraging every adult to make a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) to appoint people to look after their affairs when they cannot do this themselves. But who should you appoint? Arguably this is a more important decision for you to make than who you choose to administer your Will on your death.
As anyone who has been appointed as attorney for someone else will know, it is not a task to be taken on lightly. Very careful consideration should be given to your choice of attorney(s). Do they possess the right attributes for the job? Are they good at managing money? Are you sure they will always act in your best interests?
We can help you to make Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) for property and financial affairs and for health and welfare. Although some clients now choose to prepare their own LPAs on the government’s website as the forms are reasonably straightforward to complete, we find however that many clients still prefer to instruct us to do this for them as we can help you to think through the consequences of this seemingly straightforward appointment process, offer a wealth of additional advice and help you to consider whether additional clauses are relevant to your circumstances.
We can offer advice where a family member is losing or has lost mental capacity but has not made an LPA or EPA and we can help with the making of an application to the court for appointment of a deputy (a court appointed attorney). We can also advise on the making of a statutory Will if required.
To discuss any aspect about making Lasting Powers of Attorney, please telephone to speak to us - the first consultation is absolutely free and we are always happy to chat on the phone!
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