Powers of Attorney

There are different options when it comes to creating a power of attorney and you can set up more than one. These include:

• Ordinary power of attorney – This covers your finances and is valid while you have mental capacity. This option is usually taken as a temporary measure e.g. for a hospital stay or if you find it hard to get about and want someone else to act on your behalf.
• Lasting power of attorney (LPA) – A LPA can come into effect if you lose metal capacity or no longer want to make decisions for yourself. It can cover your finances, health and care planning. You would set this up to make sure you’re covered long term.
• Enduring power of attorney (EPA) – EPA’s were replaced by LPA’s in October 2007. However, if you created and signed an EPA prior to this, it should still be valid. Contact us for further information on your specific situation. An EPA covers your finances and property and comes into effect if you lose mental capacity or need someone to act on your behalf. 
• Business power of attorney – You can create a power of attorney to appoint someone to act in your business matters to avoid sudden issues in event of you being unavailable or incapacitated.

Common Misconceptions

If you’re married or in a civil partnership, you may assume that your spouse will automatically be able to deal with your finances and make decisions about your health and care on your behalf, if you lose the ability to do so. This is not the case. Without an LPA, they won’t have the authority.