Whenever a loved one begins to lose their mental capacity or is physically incapacitated due to an illness or injury, it can be an extremely upsetting and difficult time. We at V E White & Co. understand this and strive to aid our client’s through this difficult period to the best of our ability.
If an person is likely to, or has already begun to, lose their mental capacity, which impairs their ability to carry out tasks for themselves and also diminishes their ability to understand what is going on around them, or is physically unable to sign cheques and other documents due to a physical impairment, the Lasting Power of Attorney forms are extremely important. These forms can be put in place as a precautionary measure, which will enable a wife, son, daughter or a trusted friend to become an attorney for someone who may be losing their mental capacity or injured. The Lasting Power of Attorney gives the attorney the power to sign, or make important decisions on behalf of a person who is unable to do this for themselves.
There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney, Property & Affairs and Health & Welfare. The Property & Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney, gives the attorney the power to deal with a persons assets, which can include settling bills, writing cheques or dealing with property related matters.
The Health & Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney enables the attorney to make important decisions in relation to the persons health or future care. If the person is unable to make this decision, the attorney can decide that a care home, or a certain course of medical action is in the best interests of the person and with the Lasting Power of Attorney in place, are able to make this decision.
The Lasting Power of Attorney can be created at any time, even if persons mental capacity is perfect. The forms are put in place to cover the eventuality that a person is unable to make decisions for themselves in the future, giving a sense of comfort that this eventuality is arranged. The Forms can only be used when a person is no longer able to make the decisions for themself. Up until this time, a person giving the Lasting Power of Attorney is in control of all of his or her affairs, with no outside interference.
We at V E White & Co. understand that these forms are extremely important and treat each case with our full time and attention. The Lasting Power of Attorney will give peace of mind to a family, who will know that should something happen to a loved one, they are able to step in and help, without the need of having to apply to court, which can be a very long and expensive process.
We at V.E. White & Co. are dedicated to providing a first rate legal experience and the Lasting Power of Attorney procedure is one we are particularly proud of. Our team will ensure that the procedure is complete professionally, with due care and diligence taken at all times, to ensure that these forms are given the full attention they deserve due to their importance.
Our fees for dealing with each LPA is £500.00 plus VAT (£100.00) and Office of Public Guardian (OPG) fee £82.00 (no VAT). The process may take from 3 to 4 months from start to end.
The process for dealing with this involves taking your instructions in a face to face meeting when you will be advised ion various aspects of your matter, preparing documents for your approval in a second meeting when you will be asked to sign in our presence upon your approval, sending relevant forms to your attorneys for their execution before the documents are sent to the Office of Public Guardian for registration. Our fees also include our solicitor to provide a Certificate as required in the LPA. Once the duly registered LPAs have been returned to us by OPG, we will contact you for collection of the original documents.
