Solicitors in Birmingham

SERVICES FOR OLDER CLIENTS IN BIRMINGHAM – POWER OF ATTORNEY & FAMILY TRUSTS

We offer tailored services for the changing needs of older clients which include, by arrangement, home visits if this is more convenient. We of course offer the full range of legal services for all our clients but 2 areas which are particularly relevant for our older clients. These are having a Power of Attorney in place and whether for inheritance tax reduction or elimination or other reasons, setting up of family trusts.

Power of Attorney

A general power of attorney can be arranged and drafted very speedily and at fairly low fixed cost should you have an interim or one off requirement to appoint one or more attorneys to undertake either general legal tasks on your behalf or to sign a specific document in your absence, such as on holiday. A general power of attorney can be revoked at any time. However, if your health is perhaps deteriorating, for your peace of mind and possibly that of your family also, you may decide that a lasting power of attorney is more appropriate.

There are two forms of LPA which both attract a fixed registration fee, payable to the Office of the Public Guardian, currently £150.00.  The forms of LPA are as follows:

• Property and Affairs LPA – this allows your attorney to make decisions about your finances, such as selling your home or managing your bank accounts.

• Personal welfare LPA – this allows your attorney to make decisions about both health and personal welfare, such as where to live, day-to-day care or having medical treatment.

If you choose to have an Lasting Power of Attorney we will be happy to provide a quote for you, which will be dependent on which form of LPA is required and the level of detail you chose to include in the LPA(s).

A further area in which we offer service to elderly clients is in providing advice on protecting assets from potential claims from the local authority.

Trusts advice

A trust is created when someone transfers the legal ownership of assets to trustees, to hold the assets and manage them for the benefit of  the beneficiaries.

Trusts can be set up during a person’s lifetime or on their death via their Will or Intestacy.

There are a variety of trusts which our trust lawyers can draw up, including :-

• Simple trust deeds

• Life Interest Trusts

• Discretionary Trusts

• Charitable Trusts

Trust Administration

Once a trust has been correctly set up, the trustees have an ongoing duty to administer the trust in the best interests of the beneficiaries. We can assist in trust management and administration and ensure compliance with all legal duties and regulations imposed on trusts and trustees.