Did you know you can appoint more than one Attorney?

Lasting Powers of Attorney are like insurance policies, you might never need to use them, but it’s reassuring to know you’ve got them ready.

When insuring your house, contents, or car, you consider a number of factors when choosing which provider to use. You may consider the price, the provider’s reviews, and the extent of the cover, among other things.

The same should apply when thinking about who to appoint as your Attorney(s). Of course, you won’t consider the same factors, but you should give this careful consideration.

Your Attorney(s) should be someone you trust, someone you know would act in your best interests, and someone who has the means and understanding to contact institutions such as banks, utility companies, to name but a few.

Did you know you can appoint more than one Attorney?

In fact, you can have as many Attorneys as you wish. There are various options when choosing who to appoint as your Attorney, and how many.

Single Attorney

You must appoint a minimum of one Attorney, and this person must be over the age of 18. This could be your spouse, sibling, child, a family member, or trusted friend. This person would act solely.

It would be our advice that you consider appointing a replacement Attorney. This person would step in when your sole Attorney is unable to act themselves.

If you do not appoint a replacement and something should happen to your sole Attorney, you would have to create a brand-new Lasting Power of Attorney.

More than one Attorney

You can appoint as many Attorneys as you wish, however, it is important to consider how you want them to act. They can either act ‘jointly’ or ‘jointly and severally’. Jointly means the Attorneys must make all decisions together.

This can be tricky the more Attorneys you appoint as they may not all be contactable simultaneously, for example, if one Attorney is on holiday. Jointly and severally means the Attorneys can either make decisions together or on their own.

During your Lasting Power of Attorney appointment, we discuss with you what option is best in your circumstances.

Appointing a professional

Some professional bodies can be appointed to act as Attorneys. It is always best to have a conversation with the institution first to check they would be happy to act in this capacity.

Wilson Browne Solicitors are happy to be appointed as Attorneys for Property and Financial Affairs and/or Health and Welfare*.

*For Health and Welfare, we would follow the advice of a medical professional only.

If you would like to get in touch to create a Lasting Power of Attorney, call our New Enquiries team on 0800 088 6004. We are all the help you need!