Lasting Power of Attorney
Lasting Power of Attorney (ייפוי כח מתמשך) is a legal document that lets you choose in advance someone you trust to make decisions for you if one day you cannot make them yourself. Unlike a standard power of attorney (used for immediate needs), a lasting power of attorney only takes effect if you lose the ability to make decisions, for example, due to illness or mental decline. It ensures your personal, financial, and medical matters will be managed by a person you appoint, according to your wishes, not by a guardian appointed by a court.
For example, an elderly person might create a lasting power of attorney naming a family member to handle finances and healthcare if dementia strikes. Without this document, the family would have to seek a court-appointed guardianship, a lengthy and stressful process. Even younger people sometimes set up a lasting power of attorney as a precaution, so that if an accident or serious illness occurs, someone they trust can step in immediately and follow their guidance.
Our services: We have lawyers certified to prepare Lasting Powers of Attorney, who will guide you through the entire process. First, we discuss your wishes and explain the options: which areas of life to cover (property, health, personal matters), whom you want to appoint, and any instructions you’d like to include. Then we draft the document according to your decisions and review it with you to ensure it reflects your intentions. Once you are ready, we oversee the official signing (which must be done with an authorized lawyer) and take care of registering the power of attorney with the authorities. We also provide advice to you and your chosen attorney-in-fact on how the document will work when the time comes, so everyone knows what to do.
How we assist with a Lasting Power of Attorney:
- Explaining how a lasting power of attorney works and discussing your preferences for future personal, financial, and medical decisions.
- Helping you select and appoint the right person(s) to act on your behalf, and clearly defining their powers and scope in the document.
- Drafting a customized lasting power of attorney that includes your specific instructions and conditions.
- Guiding you through the signing process with our authorized lawyer and ensuring the document is properly registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.
- Guiding and informing relevant people about the document, and being available in the future to advise your agent when they need to act.
Setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney gives you peace of mind and control over your future. We aim to make the process clear and comfortable. By arranging it now, you are making sure that, no matter what happens, your affairs will be handled by someone you trust and in line with your wishes, without unnecessary legal hurdles.