Decide today, prepare for tomorrow
The firm provides services for the preparation and registration of enduring powers of attorney. An enduring power of attorney is a legal document that enables a person to determine in advance who will be authorized to manage his or her affairs, and how that person should act, if the individual becomes unable in the future to understand those matters and make decisions concerning them independently.
An enduring power of attorney is different from a will. A will governs the distribution of a person’s property after death and enables the testator to determine who will inherit the estate and how it will be divided, instead of relying on the default arrangements prescribed by law. By contrast, an enduring power of attorney operates during the person’s lifetime and is intended to regulate the management of his or her personal, medical and financial affairs if, due to a medical or mental condition or for another reason, that person is no longer able to make such decisions independently.
Through an enduring power of attorney, an individual may select the attorney in advance, define the scope of the attorney’s authority and provide instructions regarding the manner in which decisions should be made and the individual’s affairs managed. Where an enduring power of attorney has been duly executed and enters into force, it may often avoid the need to apply to the court for the appointment of a guardian.