LPA Solicitors

What Is a Lasting Power of Attorney?

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document letting you appoint one or more trusted people, your attorneys, to make decisions on your behalf. There are two types: Property and Financial Affairs, and Health and Welfare. An LPA has no legal effect until it is registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.

LPA Services We Provide

We advise on every stage of putting an LPA in place, and on what to do if it is already too late for one.

Property and Financial Affairs LPA

Lets your attorney manage bank accounts, pay bills, handle investments and deal with property on your behalf. You choose whether it takes effect immediately or only once you lose capacity.

Health and Welfare LPA

“Who decides about my care if I can’t?” This LPA gives your attorney authority over medical care, living arrangements and day-to-day welfare, but only once you have lost capacity, making it the only legal way to guarantee your wishes are followed.

LPA Registration with the OPG

We handle the full registration process with the Office of the Public Guardian, making sure the document is correctly drafted, witnessed and certified before submission. The OPG registration fee is currently £92 per LPA (£184 for both types), with a 50% reduction to £46 available where the donor’s gross annual income is under £12,000. Registration generally takes 8 to 20 weeks.

Reviewing an Existing LPA or EPA

“I made mine years ago, is it still fine?” Circumstances change. If you hold an older Enduring Power of Attorney made before October 2007, it remains valid but cannot be amended, so many clients now put a new LPA in place alongside it.

Deputyship Applications

If someone has already lost capacity without an LPA in place, it is still possible to apply to the Court of Protection for a Deputyship order, though this is slower and costlier than setting up an LPA in advance. Where no valid Will exists either, see our Statutory Wills page.

Advice for Business Owners

A Property and Financial Affairs LPA can be written to cover business interests as well as personal finances, protecting the business from disruption if you become incapacitated.

How the LPA Process Works

Setting up an LPA is straightforward when you have the right support.

1. Initial discussion: We explain the two types of LPA, who can act as attorney, and any conditions worth including.
2. Drafting: We draft the documents to your instructions, advising on replacement attorneys and joint decision-making.
3. Signing and certification: Signed in a strict order: donor, then certificate provider, then attorneys. Errors here are the most common cause of registration delay.
4. Registration with the OPG: We submit and monitor the application; your LPA cannot be used until registration is confirmed.
5. Certified copies: As an additional service, we can provide certified copies for banks and healthcare providers, and advise on safe storage of the original.

Why Choose Nelsons for Lasting Powers of Attorney

Clients across the East Midlands trust Nelsons to get their LPA right — here is why.

• Recognised by The Legal 500 for private client work across the East Midlands.
• Careful review of every document before submission, reducing the risk of OPG rejection.
• Offices in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham, plus phone and video appointments.
• Part of a full estate planning service alongside Wills, Trusts and Inheritance Tax advice.

Get Your LPA in Place

Call 0800 024 1976 or contact us via our online enquiry form.

Watch our video on Powers of Attorney, presented by Nadia Faki, Partner in our Wills and Probate team…