If you want to give somebody the legal authority to make certain decisions on your behalf in Marysville, Washington, you are giving them "power of attorney." There are many different types of power of attorney, to be discussed in more detail below, but they all boil down to one common element: the authority of one person to make decisions for another. I'm sure you can think of many reasons why somebody might want to give this power to another person, especially in the medical context (in case the grantor becomes incapacitated, for example).

The principal is able to dictate the exact scope of the attorney-in-fact's authority. If you are giving someone power of attorney, you're probably planning on giving it to a close friend, family member, or life partner. The exact scope of the power is up to you, and will depend on what your goals are.

One very frequent reason for granting power of attorney is that the grantor believes that they might become incapacitated, due to age or illness, in the relatively near future, and they want to make sure that their preferences relating to care at the end of their life are followed. Of course, if nobody knows what that person's preferences are, and the patient is unable to express them, family members and doctors will simply have to guess. Obviously, there's a good chance that they could get it wrong. Thus, you should make your desires well-known to those who will be in a position to implement it, and grant, in writing, a person you trust (such as a spouse, life partner, sibling, or adult child) the power to carry out your wishes, if necessary.

Sometimes, you can find pre-printed forms in Marysville, Washington allowing you to easily draft a power of attorney document. In some cases, this may be all you need. These forms already have the basics of such an agreement committed to writing. All you and the other party have to do is fill in the blanks, per the instructions, and possibly have the forms notarized.

Types of Power of Attorney Arrangements in Marysville, Washington

There are 3 power-of-attorney plans that can be set up in Marysville, Washington. Which one is best for you will largely depend on your goals, and your individual situation. They are:

1. Limited power of attorney - this is probably the most limited type of power of attorney. It lets someone act on your behalf in a single instance. It is used most commonly in large sales transactions involving a written contract. If the closing of the deal is set to take place far away from where one of the parties is located, they can give limited power of attorney to someone who is closer. All you have to do is give that person the authority to act on your behalf in this one transaction. This authority automatically expires once the deal is finished.

2. Durable power of attorney - this lets an attorney-in-fact make decisions in a particular, specified area of the principal's affairs. Durable power of attorney doesn't automatically disappear, and can last indefinitely, or until the principal revokes it. This can be very useful, because it authorizes the attorney-in-fact to make important decisions for the principal, but allows the principal to revoke the power if they regain the capacity to make their own decisions.

3. Springing power of attorney - springing power of attorney is much like durable power of attorney, with one key difference: the power only takes effect upon the happening of a particular event. The principal is free to set whatever conditions they like in this arrangement, no matter how outlandish. Of course, in most cases, the setup is much more practical. A frequent arrangement permits a close friend or family member to make certain decisions for someone else, but only if that person becomes unable to make them himself.

Can a Marysville, Washington Lawyer Help?

Formulating a power of attorney agreement in Marysville, Washington is not always easy. And even if the arrangement you want to set up is relatively simple, it might still be a good idea to have a lawyer go over it, just to make sure that there are no flaws that might prevent it from being implemented.