The Court of Protection (COP) assists in protecting the financial affairs of people who do not have the mental capacity to do so themselves. If the person did not make provisions by creating a Lasting Power of Attorney or an Enduring Power of Attorney, then an application will need to be made to the Court of Protection for a Deputy to be appointed. A Deputy could be a family member, friend or professional and they must be over the age of 18.

The Deputy will have to provide medical evidence to the court to prove that the person to whom the application relates has indeed lost their mental capacity. This is done by sending a standard COP form to the doctor of the person for completion. If the court agrees that the person lacks capacity, an order will be granted appointing the Deputy and this will also set out the authority given to them by the COP together with the limitations.

The court fee payable for the application at the time of writing is £100.00 and the payment must be made by the person seeking to be appointed as a Deputy from the funds of the person to whom the application relates. This fee is for the placement of the Deputy’s name on the Register and for the court to carry out a risk assessment. There will thereafter be supervision fees payable to the court annually. The court will decide what level of supervision is required and allocate the matter accordingly. You should also note that there may be a doctor’s fee to pay, together with the solicitor’s fee. The solicitor’s fee is fixed by the court and it is payable when the Court Order is made.

As a Deputy, you must carry out your duties and adhere to the principles set out in the Mental Capacity Act when making decisions and you must ensure that you act in the best interests of the person to whom the application relates. You are under an obligation to provide a yearly account to the court; therefore you must ensure that you keep accurate records of all your dealings in respect of the financial affairs of the person on whose behalf you are acting.

Please contact us here at Paul J Watson, Solicitor in Middlesbrough for Court of Protection applications. We will be able to answer any of your questions and assist you in the making of your application. You can also visit the Court of Protection’s website at http://www.publicguardian.gov.uk/decisions/deputy-roles-responsibilities.htm and http://www.publicguardian.gov.uk/about/court-of-protection.htm for further guidance.

We at Paul J Watson Solicitors understand that people worry about the future and the uncertainty that it brings and we hope to assist you in planning ahead, should you become ill or incapable of making decisions concerning your affairs.

Powers of Attorney are important tools which assist should the above circumstances arise. The Law in relation to Powers of Attorneys changed on 1st October 2007 and Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPA) can no longer be made or altered, although existing ones made prior to the change in the law are still valid and are capable of registration. You can revoke an existing Enduring Power of Attorney but you will not be able to create a new one.

The new form of Power of Attorney is the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA); this has now been divided into two separate documents. The Property and Financial Affairs which allows the donor to choose the people whom he/she wishes to make decisions on his/her behalf in relation to their property and monetary matters and the Health and Welfare LPA, which allows the donor to choose who will act in relation to his/her health i.e. medical needs, where they would live in the future etc.

The forms give the donor the opportunity to have one or more attorneys together with one or more replacement attorneys should your original attorneys become incapable of acting. The donor can also lists the number of people whom he/she would like to be notified when the document is eventually registered at the Office of the Public Guardian.

There is a major change to the new LPA; this is the requirement to have a Certificate Provider. A Certificate Provider is someone who is independent and who confirms that the donor understands the significance of the LPA. This person must have known the donor for two years or have the relevant professional skills; therefore the donor’s doctor or solicitor can be a Certificate Provider. If the donor has chosen to give notice of the registration on the LPA form, then only one Certificate Provider is required, however, if there are none, then two Certificate Providers will be required.

If you require a Power of Attorney in the short term, we can assist you with the preparation of a General Power of Attorney (GPA). This kind of Power of Attorney is valid for 12 months and would be beneficial if you live or work abroad or you are unable to make decisions due to unforeseen circumstances and you would like to appoint someone else to do so on your behalf whilst you are away.

The current fee for the registration of an existing EPA is £120 and for the LPA is also £120 for the registration of each LPA document. You can find further information on the Office of the Public Guardians website at http://www.publicguardian.gov.uk/arrangements/arrangements.htm .

A GPA does not require registration.

Contact Paul J Watson Solicitor Middlesbrough for straightforward legal advice on Lasting Power of Attorney and General Power of Attorney.