Lawyer urges people not to be scared of appointing attorneys

Monday, 20 February 2012

A lawyer has warned people not to be scared of appointing a Power of Attorney (PoA) following news this week of a Scottish couple who were left debt-ridden by their attorney.

Lianne Lodge, an associate at leading legal, financial and property specialists Pagan Osborne, fears people reading the story may be frightened about signing over their affairs to an attorney due to this rare, yet very upsetting, case.

Lianne is also a member of Solicitors for the Elderly and specialises in providing services to elderly clients and their families and has appointed a number of PoAs.

She said:

“What happened to this vulnerable couple was terrible, however this happened following a series of failings and I think it is important to highlight that this is a very rare occurrence.

“People may be slightly concerned or apprehensive about appointing an attorney following this case but I would like to reassure them that in the vast majority of cases this is a very worthwhile and safe thing to do which offers a protection should you be unable to handle your affairs yourself. Anyone you trust can be your attorney, provided they are willing to be so, and it does not have to be your ‘next of kin’”

About 40,000 PoAs are registered each year in Scotland. And while some are put in place by people who need them with immediate effect, for others it acts like an insurance policy that should something happen in the future then they have a safeguard in place that a family member, friend or appointed professional can deal with affairs such as paying bills, signing legal documents or even making decisions about care and wellbeing.