Lasting Power of Attorney
Choose who looks after you and your money if you ever cannot. Both LPAs prepared, witnessed and registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you appoint people you trust — your attorneys — to make decisions on your behalf if you lose the mental capacity to make them yourself.
It is, after a will, the single most important piece of forward planning you can do. Without one, your family may have to apply to the Court of Protection — a process that typically takes nine months and costs several thousand pounds.
The two kinds of LPA
Property & Financial Affairs LPA
Covers everything to do with money and property — paying bills, managing investments, dealing with pensions, selling a house, claiming benefits, running a business. This LPA can, if you wish, be used while you still have capacity (for example, if you are abroad or in hospital and need someone to act for you).
Health & Welfare LPA
Covers decisions about medical treatment, care arrangements, where you live, day-to-day welfare and life-sustaining treatment. This LPA can only be used once you have lost capacity.
Most clients put both in place together — they protect different things and the small extra cost is well worth it.
Our fixed fees
We work to clear, fixed fees agreed in writing before any work begins. Our packages cover:
- A single LPA (either type) for one person
- Both LPAs (Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare) for one person
- Both LPAs for a couple — four LPAs in total
Separate to our fee, the Office of the Public Guardian charges a statutory registration fee for each LPA. If your household income is low or you are receiving certain means-tested benefits, you may be eligible for a reduction or full exemption of those OPG fees. We will check this with you and apply if so. Please get in touch for a quote tailored to your situation.
Who should you appoint as your attorney?
This is the single most important decision in the process, and we spend a good portion of our consultation talking it through. Most people choose a spouse, an adult child, a trusted sibling, or a close friend. You can appoint more than one attorney, and you can decide whether they must act jointly (all agreed) or jointly and severally (any can act alone).
How the process works
- Home consultation to discuss your wishes and choose your attorneys
- We draft the LPA forms — usually within a week
- Second visit to witness signatures (a Certificate Provider — usually us — confirms you understand what you are signing)
- We submit to the Office of the Public Guardian and chase to registration
- Registered LPAs are returned to you, typically within 16 weeks
“My mother developed dementia far quicker than any of us expected. We had her LPAs in place by chance — what a lifeline. I shudder to think what we would have done without them.” — Mrs E, Penarth