Services for Me

Lasting Powers of Attorney

Why do I need a Power of Attorney?

If you do not have a Power of Attorney in place and you became unable to manage your own affairs, e.g.,

  • You suffer an accident and are confined to a hospital bed, or a residential or nursing home.
  • You suffer a more serious accident which permanently incapacitates you.
  • You become mentally incapable as a result of old age or illnesses such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.

What if I do not make a Power of Attorney?

The only way a person can manage your affairs is by seeking an Order of the Court of Protection for the appointment of a Deputy.

Making a Power of Attorney

Whilst nobody likes to think of a time when we can no longer make decisions regarding our finances or our health and welfare, it is reassuring for everyone involved to know that should that time arise, something is in place to ensure that life does not become any harder than it needs to be.

Appointing a person that you trust as an ‘attorney’ to make decisions about your property and finances and/or health and welfare will provide you and your family with peace of mind. It ensures that whatever happens in the future those important decisions can be made with the least amount of fuss and you and your affairs can be properly looked after.   

The specialist private client team at mfg can advise on all types of Powers of Attorney to suit your individual circumstances including:

  • Simple Powers of Attorney
  • Enduring Powers of Attorney made before October 2007
  • Lasting Powers of Attorney in relation to property and financial affairs
  • Lasting Powers of Attorney in relation to health and welfare

You can rest assured that we will spend time with you to understand your family circumstances and to ensure that any document drawn up is personalised and unique to you.

Once your Power of Attorney is signed and made legal and effective, mfg offers a free storage facility to ensure your document’s safekeeping.

If the time comes, our team can also offer your attorneys all the support they need to help manage your affairs, whether that be to let them know of their duties under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 or providing care home advice.

Acting as your Professional Attorney

Performing the role of an attorney can be a significant undertaking. At mfg, we can provide you with a Professional Attorneyship service, if you would prefer not to ask this responsibility of your family or friends or if doing so might cause difficult tensions between relatives.  

Acting as your professional attorney means we can take care of all aspects of your property and financial affairs if you become unable to do this for yourself.  

Our team consists of experienced professionals who have acted as professional attorneys and deputies (link to page) for a number of years. We offer a practical, down to earth approach, and will work with you so that you can continue to make as many decisions as you can, in the least restrictive way. Where decisions must be made on your behalf, we do so in your best interests as an individual, considering your personal background and circumstances, which may include working with your friends and family where you would like us to do so.   

We can carry out the day-to-day management of your affairs, which may include: 

  • Liaising with your care home, carers or social care agencies as required 

  • Arranging activities or equipment to improve your quality of life such as day/overnight trips, being attended by professional visitors, having access to specialist mobility equipment not funded under the NHS 

  • Liaising with independent financial advisors to manage your portfolio effectively  

  • Looking after your property by ensuring house insurance is valid and up-to-date, it remains in good repair and where possible generates an income either through rental or by sale  

 

We carefully balance our obligations to you whilst where possible considering options to keep our costs at a minimum, for example conducting yearly face-to-face meetings with you and communicating via less time-consuming and costly methods for the duration of the year.  

 If you would like to discuss the option of our professional attorneyship services, please contact our knowledgeable and friendly Court of Protection team on 01562 820181 and we will be very happy to help you.  

Registering your Power of Attorney

Once you have made a Lasting Power of Attorney (or if you have an Enduring Power of Attorney under the previous provisions) this must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before it can be used by your attorney(s). Registration can be done at any time, and if you choose to do so before you lose capacity you can specify that your attorneys may only act in the event that you lose capacity.  

At mfg, we can help by taking on the responsibility of registering the Power of Attorney on your behalf. This includes ensuring all relevant parties are notified appropriately which can be challenging.  

If you would like to request registration of your Enduring / Lasting Power of Attorney, please contact our knowledgeable and friendly team on 01562 820181 and we will be very happy to help you.  

Get in touch

Our team has the extensive knowledge and experience to advise and assist you every step of the way.

mfg also understands that it may be difficult for you to get to one of our offices and so are happy to visit you in the comfort of your own home.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you wish to discuss any of the issues raised above or any other questions regarding Powers of Attorney. Visit our contact page or call us on 0845 55 55 321.

You can also find us listed on ukcareguide.co.uk: