Lasting Power of Attorney

What is it?

A Lasting Power of Attorney or LPA is a legal document. It allows you to appoint someone that you trust as an ‘attorney’ to make decisions on your behalf, when you no longer wish to or when you lack the mental capacity to do so. A LPA can help you plan how your health, wellbeing and financial
affairs will be looked after.

Why should I have one?

  • Your bank accounts can be frozen if you lose capacity
  • Without a LPA it can take many months to get the same powers from the Court of Protection
  • Applying to the Court of Protection can be costly
  • The decisions you want to be made are executed on your behalf by the people you want
  • Your attorney(s) must follow the Code of Practice of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and act in your best interests

What types of LPA are there?

Health and Welfare LPA
A health and welfare LPA allows you to choose one or more people to make decisions for things such as medical treatment
Property and Financial Affairs LPA
A property and financial affairs LPA lets you choose one or more people to make property and financial affairs decisions for you.

Lasting Powers of Attorney are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority