Many people want to put procedures in place for what will happen if they become incapacitated. If incapacity occurs without advanced planning, it is not always clear what a person wants for medical care, and their assets can become temporarily inaccessible to loved ones when needed. While court supervision over your person and property may be desirable in some cases of incapacity, most clients prefer to plan for private solutions that keep the courts out of things as much as possible. Powers of Attorney and Health Care Directives can help accomplish this in most cases.

We prepare Powers of Attorney for our clients to address their financial concerns. By giving someone a Power of Attorney, you can reduce the likelihood of court intervention in your financial affairs if you become incapacitated. The person holding the Power of Attorney can act on your behalf in almost every aspect of your financial life. [Powers of Attorney can also give someone authority to manage your finances for limited periods or only on specific assets.] It is critically important to give such powers only to people who can be trusted absolutely and who are competent to manage your finances.