A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows you to appoint one or more trusted people, known as attorneys, to help make decisions or make decisions on your behalf. Putting LPAs in place gives you greater control over who would manage important aspects of your life if illness, injury or another change in circumstances affected your ability to make decisions yourself.

There are two types of LPA in England and Wales: Property and Financial Affairs and Health and Welfare. You can make either type independently or put both in place as part of your wider lifetime and estate planning. A Property and Financial Affairs LPA can cover matters such as bank accounts, bills, pensions, investments and property. A Health and Care Decisions LPA can cover decisions about care, medical treatment, daily routines and where you live.

DTM Legal’s Trusts & Estates team advises individuals and families on preparing and registering Lasting Powers of Attorney. We can help you choose an appropriate structure, consider who should act for you and ensure that your LPAs reflect how you would like important decisions to be approached in the future.

Our Trusts & Estates solicitors can advise on both types of LPA and how they fit within your wider arrangements.

Our services include:

Although it is possible to prepare an LPA yourself, the decisions contained within it can have significant consequences. Choosing the wrong structure, including unclear instructions or failing to consider what should happen if an attorney can no longer act can create practical difficulties when the document is eventually needed.

Our Trusts & Estates team will discuss how you would like decisions to be made, who you trust to act and whether different attorneys may be suitable for different responsibilities. Where more than one attorney is appointed, for example, careful consideration should be given to whether they can act independently or must agree decisions together. The structure selected can affect how easily the LPA operates if circumstances later change.

We can also consider your LPAs alongside your Will and wider estate arrangements. For business owners, landowners or individuals with more complex financial affairs, a Property and Financial Affairs LPA can be particularly important in planning who could manage relevant interests if assistance were required.

We provide:

• Clear advice on both types of Lasting Power of Attorney
• LPAs tailored to your circumstances and preferences
• Practical guidance on choosing suitable attorneys
• Advice on how multiple attorneys should make decisions
• Support with registration through the Office of the Public Guardian
• Reviews of existing LPAs when circumstances change
• Advice for attorneys about their responsibilities
• Coordination with your wider Will and estate planning

Putting Lasting Powers of Attorney in place allows you to decide in advance who should make important decisions if you ever need assistance. Our Trusts & Estates team can help you understand the options, choose an appropriate structure and prepare LPAs that reflect your individual circumstances and wishes.

To discuss your requirements, contact us by emailing trustsandestates@dtmlegal.com or calling 01244 354 800 / 0151 321 0000.