Why is a Power of Attorney (Health and Financial) Document so important?

Death or mental incapacity can strike at any time.Signing a Power of Attorney NOW, while healthy and competent will prevent the need for a conservatorship and possible loss of assets!

With respect to creating these ‘NO MATTER WHAT DOCUMENTS’… there is no time like the present!  There are two kinds of Powers of Attorney, one is for health care and medical decisions and the other is for financial decisions. Both of these are important for you and your loved ones to have.

  1. Choosing a Personal Representative for Health Care Decisions

The Advance Health Care Directive allows you to make decisions about the ability to keep you alive in certain circumstances. This may include life support, artificial nutrition or hydration. You may also specify any medications you would want or where you would like to spend your last moments. These documents are flexible and help your family members guide you through your last wishes.

Executing an Advanced Health Care Directive (medical durable power of attorney) assigns the person of YOUR CHOICE to act on your behalf to make medical decisions if you are mentally incapable of making those decisions yourself, without the need of proceeding to court for an appointed conservator of your person.

  1. Choosing a Personal Representative for Financial Decisions

For financial decisions, you, as the principal, appoint one or more people to be your “attorney-in-fact” to all of your financial decisions. Your attorney-in-fact can make all the same financial decisions regarding your assets and liabilities as you can.

Power of Attorney can take effect immediately or be specified to take effect when you become incapacitated or incompetent as declared by one or more physicians. This is why the power of attorney is considered durable, because it survives your incapacity or incompetency.

Executing a Durable Power of Attorney identifies a the person of YOUR CHOICE to act on your behalf to make financial decisions if you are mentally incapable of making those decisions yourself, without the need of proceeding to court for an appointed conservator of your estate (assets).  This can also allow your representative to move assets out of your name to qualify for Medi-CAL (Medicaid) qualifications or to prevent recovery.

Take advantage of a free phone consultation or appointment for a free 30 minute consultation to review your individual situation and determine if you would benefit from our experience and legal services.

For more information go to www.la-lawcenter.com or call us at:

Local Phone: (818) 241-4238 or

Toll Free Phone: (877) 537-8283