LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY (LPA)
Many people need help managing their property and finances.
A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows someone with the requisite mental capacity (the Donor) to choose someone they trust (an Attorney) to make decisions on their behalf. These decisions can relate to property & finances and/or health & welfare. There are separate and distinct LPA documents for each.
We can assist you to determine which LPA document is most appropriate to meet your needs and can help you to complete the appropriate forms, ensuring they reflect your wishes and will be registered successfully by the Office of the Public Guardian.
As Donor, you must have the requisite mental capacity to grant a Lasting Power of Attorney. In other words, you must understand what an LPA is, the powers it confers, and be under no undue pressure to appoint somebody as Attorney.
If it is the case that you, your relative, or the person in your care lacks the capacity to make an LPA, it may be necessary to make a Court of Protection application. The Court may then appoint a Deputy.
Please contact us for free advice and to discuss whether a Lasting Power of Attorney is appropriate.
OUR PROFESSIONAL ATTORNEY SERVICE
We recognise that not everybody has the luxury of a trusted and reliable relative or friend upon whom they can rely to manage their property and financial affairs.
Many people require assistance to manage these and would rather this significant responsibility be carried out by an independent professional.
By appointing a professional attorney under a Lasting Power of Attorney document, you can ensure that your property and finances are managed by a specialist Solicitor who can:
● Maximise income from welfare benefits or pensions
● Ensure land and property are insured and maintained
● Negotiate payment of care fees
● Safeguard your assets
● Provide expert and independent advice
● Act in your best interests
● Remain independent from any existing or potential family conflict
If you are unsure about whether a professional Attorney should be instructed, or simply wish to discuss a matter which may or may not be suitable for a referral, please contact us by telephone, email, or by clicking here. Any advice we provide is free of charge, without obligation, and entirely independent.
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HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
We are a nonprofit social enterprise.
This means that our core objective as an organisation is to achieve positive social outcomes for society, as well as our individual clients.
One of our core values is transparency. Therefore, we want to make sure the full details of any and all charges are set out clearly and transparently. The majority of our services are provided free of charge. However, some of our services are paid for directly by the client or the protected party.
We receive funding through grants, donations and by charging fees for other professional services. These fees are paid directly to the social enterprise in order to further our social objectives. We do not have shareholders and we do not generate profit.
We charge the following fees for the completion and registration of a Lasting Power of Attorney:
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Property and Affairs LPA - £400
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Health and Welfare LPA - £400
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Both LPAs (Property and Affairs & Health and Welfare) - £500
If we are appointed as Professional Attorney, we do not charge any fees for the completion of the LPA.
In addition to our fees above, there is a fee payable to the Office of the Public Guardian upon registration of the LPA. This fee is currently £82 per LPA.
Our Professional Attorney service is charged on an hourly rate basis in accordance with the guideline Solicitors' hourly rates. We believe that our flexible, holistic approach, based around P's best interests - not upon generating a profit - will result in fees far lower than those charged by a traditional law firm or a high street solicitor.
In addition to our core value of transparency, we also pledge to work with the utmost empathy and integrity. Consequently, we will take steps to minimise our costs and charges wherever possible.
If you have any further questions then please don't hesitate to get in touch.