One of the most important court orders you can put in place is to give someone the right to have power of attorney. This is essentially giving someone the legal right to make decisions for you and act on your behalf in certain matters or in everything pertaining to your daily life.
Most of you won’t need to go through with one of these, but in very rare cases sometimes your family law attorney need to file for one of these to cover a range of problems. Here’s a few of the reasons this might crop up.
Types of power of attorney
As a quick aside, there are interestingly many different versions of power of attorney, you can usually find out more from your family solicitors but the two main ones that are usually used are the lasting power (LPA) and the enduring power (EPA). They’re relatively similar apart from the fact that LPA is used when property, finances and welfare are involved. Whilst EPAs are brought out when it’s just property and money that are being discussed.
Finances become unstable
One of the most common cases is when money is involved. Normally it’s because someone can’t control their finances and you have to step in to manage spending. Although some of the more notable situations involve affluent families or those with famous children. Here the parents or a legal guardian have control of any finances to prevent minors from blowing it all with spending decisions they probably shouldn’t make.
Welfare is at risk
Another opportunity that calls for power of attorney is when someone’s welfare is at risk. In the event that an individual can’t properly look after themselves because of physical or mental health reasons, you can file for this motion to assume control. This allows the holder of the court order the ability to provide a more adequate care environment or network of support that the individual is unable to normally manage on their own.
Ongoing care is required
In the event that continued medical care is required, filing for this means that you will be able to have the final say with medical practitioners with what happens to your loved one. This usually applies to cases where a patient’s consent is usually required for treatment, but due to injury they’re physically unable to give it.
Which brings us to the next example on the list.
Ending life support
This is the one case that we’re all familiar with thanks to movies and television. In extremely rare cases where this is applicable, having the power of attorney here means you get the final say in the biggest decision in the world, ending someone’s life support. This is not a decision that’s taken lightly by lawyers and you will usually be thoroughly vetted before they allow you these kinds of decision-making powers.
These are just some of the important things that will be on your shoulders should you take up the mantle of attorney. It’s not a decision you should make lightly as there are very important responsibilities to handle.
