Power of Attorney

We offer reduced rates for lasting power of attorney services to trade union members.

In England and Wales, a lasting power of attorney (“LPA”) is a document which allows you to appoint a person that you trust to make decisions on your behalf should you become unable to do so.

They can be granted at any time while you are still able to make decisions on your own behalf - “have mental capacity” - and are a cost effective way of ensuring that if the worst should happen, you have a trusted person in place to manage your affairs who has the appropriate legal documentation in place.

There are two types of LPA – one which grants a person that you trust responsibility (either immediately or in future) for your financial and property affairs, and another which gives someone responsibility over your health and welfare needs. You can choose to appoint more than one person – such as a family member, spouse or a friend – to act as your attorney.

If you do not have an LPA in place and lose the mental capacity to manage your own affairs, a body called the Court of Protection sometimes has the right to get involved. If this happens, an application can be made to the Court of Protection by your loved ones seeking deputyship powers, but there is no guarantee that the application will be successful and the fees can cost thousands of pounds. That is why we recommend having an LPA in place in case you should fall ill. If that hasn’t happened, Thompsons has experts who can help you deal with the Court of Protection via our Deputyship service.

The best and most cost effective way to guarantee that the person you want is responsible for managing your affairs, should you become unable to, is to apply for an LPA while you are still in good health.

To learn more about this service and how we can support you in making an application for lasting powers of attorney, visit the BBH Legal site.