What are Lasting Powers of Attorney (Property & Affairs and Personal Welfare)?

They are legal documents which allow you to choose someone (an attorney) to make decisions on your behalf in connection with your property and affairs and personal welfare. They can only be used once they have been registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.

Powells can prepare Lasting Powers of Attorney (Property and Affairs) and (Personal Welfare) at the same time for a fixed fee.

What is included in the Fixed Fee?

The fixed fee assumes that:

• You do not wish to choose more than 2 people (the Attorneys) to act on your behalf;
• that you do not intend appointing a replacement attorney in case your original attorney(s) cannot act for you
• that your attorney(s) will be the same in each document;
• that you do not intend placing any restrictions and / or conditions on your attorney(s)
• that you do not wish to offer any specific guidance that the attorney(s) should take into account;
• that you do not intend that your attorney(s) be paid a fee (they will automatically be entitled to be reimbursed for out of pocket expenses incurred in carrying out their duties); and
• that you are prepared to name at least one person to be notified when an application is made to register your Lasting Powers of Attorney.

You will be required to complete a short questionnaire to enable us to draft the Powers.

The fixed fee includes:

• Preparing the draft Powers;
• explaining the effect of the documents;
• making any minor amendments;
• providing the final copies for signature.

It does not include:

• Acting as Certificate Provider (we can provide this service for an additional fixed fee of £115);
• registering the Lasting Powers with the Office of the Public Guardian (we can provide this service for an additional fixed fee of £530 which includes the Court Registration fee of £300).

The fixed fee is not appropriate where your proposals do not fall within all of the circumstances listed above e.g. you wish to appoint more than 2 attorneys, or appoint a replacement, or impose restrictions or conditions, or offer guidance, or intend that the attorney(s) be paid, or that no one is to be notified when an application for registration is made. If you would like bespoke Lasting Powers to cover some or all of these circumstances we are happy to prepare them. Please contact us for a detailed quote.

Why pay a Fixed Fee?

By paying a fixed fee at the start of your case you have certainty about the costs involved. The alternative is to pay an hourly rate (£220 plus VAT) for the time your solicitor spends on your case.