Being an attorney under a Power of Attorney involves a great deal of power and responsibility. So, it is extremely...
Information Articles
Do you need a solicitor’s help with Power of Attorney?
The Office of the Public Guardian provides free forms that you can fill out and register yourself to appoint a Lasting...
Top 10 mistakes in Power of Attorney applications
Avoid these common mistakes when setting up your Lasting Power of Attorney! Learn from our expert, Rebecca Seeley Harris, as she shares the top 10 mistakes in Power of Attorney applications. With there currently being a 20 week delay in processing the Lasting Power of...
Beginner’s Guide to Power of Attorney
At some point in your life you might need someone to help you make decisions about your health or finances, or to act on your behalf. This beginner's guide to power of attorney will guide you through this very complex subject. You may need to appoint someone because...
Discretionary Investments and Power of Attorney
As an attorney under a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) for Finance and Property, you may be tasked with making investments on behalf of the donor. It may be that you happen to be a seasoned professional at investing but, most attorneys won't be. This article looks...
The Tax Return and the Power of Attorney
It’s that time of year again when everyone is rushing to submit their tax returns by 31 January. But little did I know that I also had to submit a tax return for my father who has dementia and has lost mental capacity to handle his own financial affairs. I won’t be...
Get digital: Powers of Attorney Act 2023 gets the green light
Today the new Powers of Attorney Act 2023 received Royal Assent. This will create new safeguards to protect against fraud and abuse and digitalisation will improve processing time and reduce human error. The Powers of Attorney Act fires the starting gun on bringing...
OPG Campaign: Your voice. Your decision.
The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has launched a campaign to highlight the need to register a power of attorney. The "Your voice. Your decision." campaign has real time stories of donor's and attorney's so you can hear people talk about their experience of LPAs....
LPA digital service: preferences and instructions
The OPG has recently updated the LPA digital service to include 'preferences and instructions'. The OPG has made great strides in digitising the process especially with the Use the LPA service but, this update is crucial for the attorney. It will hopefully make the...
Questions for the Donor: What should they be asking?
Questions for the donor, what should the donor be asking when including preferences and instructions in their Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)? Giving an attorney the authority to make decisions on your behalf is an onerous position. When you are giving that...
Stopping the attorney abusing their powers
This is the first of a two-part series, looking at stopping the attorney from abusing their powers. Read the second part here which looks at how the attorney can be helped if things go wrong. Who watches the watchmen? Who guards the guards? Who stops a attorney...
Who protects the attorney?
The pressure of overseeing someone else’s finance and health decisions can be huge.