Glossary · UK
What is Power of Attorney?
A legal document letting someone appoint another person (or people) to make decisions on their behalf -- the general term covering both ordinary and lasting powers of attorney.
Full Definition
A power of attorney is a legal document giving one or more chosen people (attorneys) the authority to make decisions or take actions on someone else's behalf. An ordinary power of attorney only remains valid while the person granting it (the donor) has mental capacity, and is typically used for a temporary or specific purpose -- for example managing finances while abroad or recovering from surgery. This differs from a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), which is specifically designed to continue (for a property and financial affairs LPA) or only take effect (for a health and welfare LPA) if the donor loses mental capacity, and must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before use. Without a valid, registered LPA in place, if someone loses capacity their family must instead apply to the Court of Protection for a deputyship order -- a slower, more expensive and more restrictive process than an LPA.