It is possible that at some point in our lives we may become incapable of making decisions for ourselves, either temporarily or permanently, due to injury or illness. By making a power of attorney, you can allow others to make decisions on your behalf should you become incapable.

If a person becomes incapable of managing his or her property or incapable of making personal care decisions, others will have to make these decisions on behalf of the incapable person. In order to have control over who the decision-maker will be and to provide guidance in making such decisions, we recommend you prepare powers of attorney for property and personal care as part of your estate planning.

When you think about your assets in the context of estate planning, it is important to distinguish between a Will and a Power of Attorney. A Will deals with disposition of a person’s assets after death and takes effect only on death. In contrast, a power of attorney is used during one’s lifetime and terminates on death. At Houlihan Law, we do our best to ensure that our clients are well protected and give peace of mind.