Lasting Powers of Attorney

During the Covid-19 outbreak, Smith Partnership have still been very much operational and we are proud to have been able to continue to provide legal services for you. We are still open for business and we are finding more and more inventive ways of liaising with our clients. 

This has included taking instructions from you via video link, from your ground floor windows, arranging socially distant meetings in your gardens and on your patios and we have even held meeting in fields! 

We fully appreciate that making arrangements for our loved ones will be at the forefront of people’s minds during these uncertain times. This can include finalising the execution of your Will or, as importantly, creating documents called Lasting Powers of Attorney. 

Whilst we have seen that the outbreak has resulted in an increase in the number of people who are making their Wills, we also want to emphasise the importance of making Lasting Powers of Attorney in light of the new era of social distancing. 

Lasting Powers of Attorney are very important documents which provide peace of mind that decisions which need to be made about your financial and health affairs can be actioned, if you lose capacity or if you are self isolating or shielding. 

The outbreak has seen vulnerable and elderly people subjected to more stringent social distancing measures than the rest of the population. Managing what used to be easy administrative tasks could now become more complicated for a large percentage of the population. 

The government have today updated their advice in respect of making and registering Lasting Powers of Attorney during the outbreak and we want to reiterate that we can assist you in this regard. You can still create your Lasting Power of Attorney during the outbreak and we are still available to help you do this. 

Sadly, in light of the current situation, everyone should consider the need to put into force Lasting Powers of Attorney. In particular, the Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney enables your loved ones to make decisions about your healthcare decisions in the future, if you cannot make those decisions yourself. 

The team at Smith Partnership will be only too pleased to help you with the preparation and registration of your Lasting Powers of Attorney. 

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you wish to discuss Lasting Powers of Attorney in detail and how we can arrange to help you.