Trusted Consultation Regarding Power of Attorney in North Vancouver
If you are looking for trusted advice regarding specific, general or enduring powers of attorney in North Vancouver, we are here to give you the right consultation. At Lynn Valley Law, we understand that it is crucial to take into account the possibility of circumstances, such as accidents or illnesses, that may leave the rightful owner incapacitated to operate their own finances or property matters. By issuing power of attorney to a trusted person, you can ensure that your property, financial, legal or business affairs are in safe hands.
Powers of attorney are invaluable. This document ensures a smooth transition for the individual’s loved ones to arrange for their care. Our experienced lawyers will work with you closely and draft these documents with all considerations in mind. You can also rely on us to assist you with administration, help carry out your duties, and offer advice whenever required. Call us now for more information, we serve clients in and around North Vancouver.
Power of Attorney Consultation
When you need to designate someone to act on behalf of another in private, business, financial or other matters, a power of attorney provides this authorization. At Lynn Valley Law in North Vancouver, our team ensures you have the correct type of power of attorney for your situation. We listen to you and understand the complete situation and guide you through different options available to take care of your matters in the right manner. Our experts have extensive knowledge and experience in drafting the power of attorneys. Trust our legal team for assigning power of attorney. We’ll carry out your wishes in the way you see fit, so do not hesitate to get in touch with us today.
Drafting the Power of Attorney for Clients
If you want another person to take care of your legal and financial matters, from paying bills to taking care of your banking and selling estates on your behalf, speak to us to prepare a power of attorney document. Whether you’re creating an enduring power of attorney or a temporary one, Lynn Valley Law is an experienced and trusted legal team to call for ensuring the documents prepared are consistent with your needs.
Why Do You Need a Power of Attorney?
Power of Attorney
You should prepare and enter into, while you are still able to do so, a Power of Attorney (for legal and financial matters; see Representation Agreement below for hospital and medical matters) to appoint another person or persons to make decisions for you in the event that you become, temporarily or permanently, physically or mentally unable to make those decisions yourself. It is imperative that the person you appoint as your Attorney must be someone you trust to make these decisions on your behalf.
Under the Power of Attorney Act, there are two types of Power of Attorney. The first is a General Power of Attorney, which ceases to have any force upon the event of the adult losing capacity. The second is an Enduring Power of Attorney, which either comes into effect when, or was already in effect and remains in effect after, the adult has lost capacity.
There are in general two types of Enduring Power of Attorney. The first, which only comes into effect when the adult loses capacity, is more generally known as a Springing Power of Attorney. The Attorney’s authority only takes effect after a doctor (in an urgent situation) or two (under ordinary circumstances) has confirmed that you no longer have the capacity to make legal or financial decisions.
The second general type of Enduring Power of Attorney takes effect immediately upon signing by both you and the Attorney (and hence before you have lost the capacity to make decisions), so that your Attorney under the Power of Attorney could make decisions or act in your place, but you would have the final say until and unless you lose capacity. Your Attorney’s authority to make decisions on your behalf would continue after you have lost the capacity to make decisions, without the need for a doctor to confirm your lack of capacity.
All types of Powers of Attorneys, be they general, springing or enduring, are very flexible in terms of what particular property or assets they can be made to apply to, and the powers and restrictions that your attorney is able to exercise with regard to the property or assets. A Power of Attorney can be drafted to cover all of your assets, or only certain assets. You can have more than one Power of Attorney, each dealing with different assets. You can have different restrictions on your Attorney’s ability to deal with different assets. The authority to act can be for an indefinite period, or until revoked, or for a set period of time.
Although it is not usually done, you can also appoint a Monitor who would have access to your financial and legal records, but with only a power to review them (and thus decisions made by your Attorney), but no power to make decisions on your behalf.
Representation Agreement
If you are unable to make health care decisions on your own, the doctor or hospital will normally turn to (in descending order of precedence) your spouse, adult child, parent, brother or sister, grandparent or grandchild, to make health care decisions for you.
If you desire, you can instead execute a Representation Agreement (under the Representation Agreement Act) to state who your substitute decision maker will be. You can choose the same person(s) named as your Attorney in your Power of Attorney or you can choose different people. If you don’t have a spouse or children it is imperative that you consider a Representation Agreement naming a trusted relative, friend, or advisor as your representative for health care decisions.
Advance Directive
Under an Advance Directive (BC Health Care (Consent) and Care Facility (Admission) Act), you provide explicit instructions regarding the level of treatment that health care providers are allowed to administer to you in attempting to resuscitate or in applying other medical procedures. It is preferred however that you would have a representative under a Representation Agreement making those decisions, since changes or advances in procedures may occur between the time you make the Advance Directive and the time that the proposed use on you of the treatment in issue arises.
However, some people want to be sure of the type and extent of treatment that can ever be performed on them. Therefore, they believe in making definite instructions pertaining to their treatment in form of an Advance Directive and not let a representative take that crucial decision on their behalf.