HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

An Ordinary/General Power of Attorney can be prepared in a matter of days or virtually immediately in the case of emergency.

Lasting Powers of Attorney can usually be prepared within a week of initial appointment. The LPAs have to be signed in a particular order:

• Firstly by the Donor
• Secondly by the Certificate Provider
• Thirdly by the Attorneys

The time taken for these various signatures depends whether all relevant parties are local or not.

Once an LPA has been duly executed and countersigned (as above) the registration process involving the Public Guardianship Office generally takes approximately two months.

Applications to the Court of Protection for the appointment of deputies are more difficult to estimate. Upon initial application the Court may require further details and information. At times there are backlogs at the Court and it is difficult to estimate (on behalf of the Court) how long it will take for a final Order to be made, sealed and served. Generally, one would allow in the region of 2-6 months from date of initial application.