Lasting Power of Attorney

If you are ever unable to make a decision for yourself, a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) can provide you with legal protection and ensure your wishes are respected.

There may come a time in your life when age or health-related issues prevent you from making important decisions about you and your future.

Without a legally-binding Lasting Power of Attorney in place, others could make decisions for you – and they may not reflect your values or wishes.

Instead of loved ones being forced to gain decision-making powers through the Courts, a carefully-drafted LPA can ensure your legal and financial affairs and/or your health and welfare are managed in accordance with your wishes – and always in your best interests.

Take control of your long-term welfare and discuss your affairs with our experienced Power of Attorney Solicitors.

Monitored by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, we are members of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and Full Accredited Members of The Association of Lifetime Lawyers (previously known as Solicitors for the Elderly), recognising our expertise in supporting older and vulnerable people, as well as their families and carers.

After listening to your wishes, our experienced Estate Administration team will explain the various options available and draft an LPA tailored to your specific needs.

Benefit from friendly and impartial advice, call 0191 5666 500 for an informal discussion.

Which Lasting Power of Attorney do I need?

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legally-binding document allowing you to appoint persons who you trust to make decisions on your behalf, if you can no longer make your own decisions, in relation to your property and financial affairs and/or your health and welfare.

There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA):

Property & Financial Affairs: This LPA gives the ‘Attorneys’ the authority to manage your bank accounts, pensions, benefits and investments. They can also pay bills and buy and/or sell property on your behalf.

Health & Welfare: This allows the ‘Attorneys’ to make decisions about matters such as medical care, accommodation and your daily routine. They can also give or refuse consent for life-sustaining treatments, should you wish.

Depending on your needs, you can choose make an LPA for one or both areas.

You can also decide whether the LPA should take effect immediately, or only in the event that you suffer a loss of capacity and are unable to make decisions for yourself in the future.

LPA Services to Safeguard Your Future

When a person has full mental capacity, it can be a good idea to draft a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) which can be used to appoint persons to look after their affairs in case they should lose capacity and the ability to make decisions about their own welfare.

To ensure your interests are protected at all times, we can provide legal advice and prepare your LPA in accordance with your wishes and instructions.

LPAs can be limited, should you wish, to ensure that the Power of Attorney can only be used if you are unable to make your own decisions.

The services offered by our Lasting Power of Attorney Solicitors include:

• Advise which LPA would be most appropriate for your situation
• Discuss who would be a good fit to act as your Attorney
• Specify exactly what powers or restrictions may be suitable
• Arrange for LPA to be signed and witnessed by all parties
• Sort all the necessary certificates – confirming capacity, understanding and absence of undue influence to be completed
• When required, apply to the Office of the Public Guardian to register the LPA so that it becomes legally effective
• Provide guidebooks explaining how LPAs work & what they may be used for

In addition to our LPA service, we can also offer advice about Wills and assist with the creation of Trusts, ensuring your assets are distributed in accordance with your wishes.

Clear & transparent Lasting Power of Attorney costs

Making an LPA should be simple and straightforward.

After discussing and listening to your wishes, we will make sure your LPA reflects your intentions, clearly and without ambiguity.

To guide you through the process, we’ll hold your hand until you feel 100% comfortable with the final draft. We will also explain it in easy-to-understand language so you fully understand it and can agree to its terms.

By adopting a relaxed and friendly approach, we believe it’s easier for our experienced LPA Solicitors to explain any intricacies. We will then arrange for the LPA to be signed in front of a suitable witness to ensure that it is valid.

For clarity and convenience, we charge fixed LPA costs so you know exactly what to expect in advance.

For a single LPA, we charge £544.00. This increases to £757.00 for one Property and Financial Affairs LPA and one Welfare LPA for the same person.

For one LPA each for spouses or partners, the cost remains £757.00, rising to £972.00 for one Property and Affairs LPA and one Welfare LPA for each spouse or partner. VAT is also added to our costs at the current 20% rate.

If you want the LPAs to be effective as soon as possible, an additional registration fee of £82.00 is payable to the Office of the Public Guardian for each Lasting Power of Attorney.

Please click to access detailed information about our LPA Costs and approximate timescales as well as further information about fees relating to the Estate Administration process.

To discuss your affairs in confidence, call 0191 5666500 and speak to our friendly experts or contact us to request a call back.