Enduring Power of Attorney Overview

Enduring Power Of Attorney

A Power of Attorney is a device used to grant a friend, relative or professional the power to deal with your personal affairs. It can be an authority to deal with all of your affairs or it can be limited to deal with one or two specific areas. Powers of Attorney are useful in many circumstances where you are going to be personally unable to perform a task, such as signing documents on the sale of a house etc.

Powers of Attorney are particularly useful in the event that you become physically or mentally incapable of dealing with your own affairs through illness, old age or hospitalisation. A failure to have an attorney to assist you in these circumstances can result in the non-payment of bills and the mismanagement of your affairs. It can even result in the Court stepping in to manage your affairs on your behalf.

With an Enduring Power of Attorney you can bestow upon a spouse, relative or friend the power to deal with your affairs whatever should befall you in the future, and it is possible grant the power so that it only comes into effect if you should become incapacitated. People often choose to execute an Enduring Power of Attorney at the same time as they are drafting their Wills.

If you would like to discuss Enduring Powers of Attorney, please call Peter Russell in our Private Client department on 0207 703 5034 or pjcr@meaby.co.uk.