Is Now the Time to Think About Your Personal Affairs?

By Kerry Blackhurst (Head of Private Client Team)

Coronavirus has brought many issues into sharp focus, and in the midst of the pandemic you may find yourself thinking about your personal affairs and how you should now put these in order whilst you have a little more time on your hands to do so.

Most of us recognise that managing issues relating to our estate and end of life is important but we do have a tendency to leave these matters to another day because we are so busy living our lives. Whilst matters are on a “temporary” hold this may be the very best time to put in place the appropriate safeguards for the benefit of your family in the future.

As a firm we have always focused on our clients’ needs and at a time like this we want to reassure you that our Private Client Team is still fully available to assist with whatever you need including advice on:

• Wills 
• Lasting Powers of Attorney
• General Powers of Attorney
• Advance Directive (Living Wills)
• Care

Wills

Wills are vital to ensuring that your assets pass in accordance with your wishes. Our team can draft bespoke Wills to suit your requirements. Although we usually prefer to see our clients on a face to face basis, we are able to offer alternative solutions to accommodate current social distancing requirements.

Dying without a Will means that you die intestate. There are strict rules to dictate who inherits from an intestate estate which may produce an outcome you would not want. Those you care about, particularly vulnerable persons, unmarried couples and step-children can experience significant difficulty from an intestacy.

Even if you have a will in place already, you want to consider if now is a suitable time to update a previous Will.

Lasting Power of Attorney

A Lasting Power of Attorney (‘LPA’) is a vital document in the event you become incapacitated. An LPA is a legal document that allows you to appoint people to help you make decisions, or make decisions on your behalf. There are two different LPAs: Property & Finance and Health & Welfare.

A Property & Finance LPA allows you to appoint trusted people (your ‘Attorneys’) to deal with your property, bank accounts, investments and similar assets when you are unable to do so. Your Attorneys will also be able to manage direct debits, pensions and apply for benefits on your behalf.

A Health & Welfare LPA allows your Attorneys to make decisions about your healthcare and everyday life when you are unable to do so yourself.

LPAs must be registered by The Office of the Public Guardian (‘OPG’) in order to be effective. The OPG is still registering LPAs at this time, although it may take slightly longer that the usual 10 – 12 weeks registration period.

General Powers of Attorney

A General Power of Attorney (‘GPA’) can be effective immediately and temporarily enables an Attorney to make certain decisions on your behalf regarding your property and finances. A GPA does not have to be registered by the OPG and can only be used for as long as the person who made it has capacity.

Advance Directive 

Also known as an ‘Advance Decision’ or ‘Living Will’ this is a legally binding document that allows you to make decisions about your future care, specifically the circumstances in which you would wish to refuse clinical treatment.

Advance Directives help communicate your preferences with your loved ones and clinicians when you are no longer able to do so.

Care

If you have a family member requiring care at home or care in a residential setting, we can provide you with advice and assistance to help you understand how this can be funded, whether privately or with financial contribution from your Council or NHS. Arranging care for a loved one can be a stressful and complex issue and we can provide you with straightforward advice to help you make the right decisions.

For Further Information: If you require any advice, please do not hesitate to contact our Private Client Team on 0161 832 2500 or [email protected]