
Powers of attorney
To guide you through bestowing power of attorney, call Cleaver Thompson Solicitors in Alfreton and Clay Cross for advice.
A legal document
A power of attorney is a document giving someone the legal right to manage your financial or property affairs. It is an important document, and it is important to ensure you have correct advice before this undertaking.
OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC GUARDIAN
A power of attorney is only valid if it is drawn up when you are of sound mind, and it has been created of your own free will. It also needs to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian to make it legal. You can appoint up to four people to manage your affairs, whether you need them to in the present or in some future time when you anticipate that you will become incapacitated.
2 types of power of attorney
There are two types of lasting powers of attorney.
1. A Financial Decisions Lasting Power of Attorney, which can operate when you still have full mental capacity, and which would continue to operate after you had lost mental capacity. This covers matters including buyer and selling property, paying your bills, operating your bank account etc.
2. A Health and Care Decisions Lasting Power of Attorney operates only when you lack mental capacity and this could cover such matters as where you live, your day-to-day care, healthcare, and medical treatment you receive etc.
A valuable safeguard
A power of attorney is a valuable safeguard, as your next of kin is not automatically granted the right to manage your affairs in the event that you in the future lack mental capacity to do so. If you haven’t made a lasting power of attorney and you become incapable of managing your affairs, then an application would need to be made to the Court of Protection for someone to be appointed to act as your deputy. See ‘Court of Protection’ for further details.


ARE YOU THINKING OF GRANTING POWER OF ATTORNEY?
Call the experts at Cleaver Thompson Solicitors in Alfreton and Clay Cross. We also provide advice on intestacy and will writing.
ALFRETON OFFICE
5 & 7 King Street, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 7AE
Tel: 01773 301858
CLAY CROSS OFFICE
6a Eyre Street, Clay Cross, Derbyshire, S45 9NS
Tel: 01246 865048