Lasting Powers of Attorney

Why should you have an LPA in place?

Should you or a family member be in an unfortunate position to lose capacity through illness or an accident, your next of kin or carer could find many obstacles in their way when attempting to deal with your affairs on your behalf from paying basic bills, managing your bank or building society account or arranging your care. Unfortunately, many people do not have a Power of Attorney in place and by the time they need one it is too late; important decisions that need to be made can be taken out of the hands of the immediate family, or the person you trust to make them for you, should you not be able to.

What if you don’t have an LPA in place?

If you lose mental capacity without an LPA in place, it will be necessary for your family to apply to the Court of Protection to have a deputy appointed to deal with everyday financial matters. This is a slow and very expensive process and can take up to 12 months, causing stress and unnecessary cost for your loved ones.

Furthermore, joint bank, building society and business accounts can be severely restricted if one of the account holders loses mental capacity and there is no registered LPA in place.