Making a Lasting Power of Attorney

A lasting power of attorney is a legal way of giving others the power to manage your affairs on your behalf even after you have become unable to manage your affairs – whether temporarily or permanently, or because of an illness, disability or accident.

Your attorney cannot start making decisions on your behalf until the lasting power of attorney has been registered by the Office of the Public Guardian, who will make sure your attorney is aware of his or her duty to act in your best interests.

For a lasting power of attorney to be valid, you must fully understand the implications of the arrangement at the time of making it. A certificate provider must certify that you are aware of the implications and that nobody is pressurising you into making a lasting power of attorney. A certificate provider may be a friend of more than two years’ standing or a professional such as a doctor or a solicitor.

At Bennetts, we can draw up the necessary forms, act as the certificate provider and register the power at the Office of the Public Guardian on your behalf.

Making a Lasting Power of Attorney