POWERS OF ATTORNEY

I have written this report based on questions often asked of me while in private law practice in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, since 1975. Although my first hand experience is limited to those jurisdictions, I have written in non-legal terms and with general principles in mind so that the information will be helpful, in varying degrees, in most jurisdictions of Canada and the United States.

A Power of Attorney gives someone else the authority to look after your affairs.

The Power may be limited to a specific transaction, or it may be unlimited.

A frequent use of specific Power of Attorney is to give someone the authority to sign a document while you are unavailable.

A frequent use of a general Power of Attorney is when elderly people give a family member an authority to look after their affairs, in anticipation that this kind of assistance may be needed. When this kind of Power of Attorney is used, the person giving the Power of Attorney (the donor) can decide if the Power of Attorney should continue even though the donor has become incompetent.

Powers of Attorney must be drafted carefully and should only be done by a lawyer.

You wouldn't expect to read anything "legal" without some kind of caution - so here it is. This report is general information only and not to be relied upon without legal advice. For legal advice, call us.

Hoped this helped,

Best regards,

Derek McManus, MA (Econ), Llb.

Derek McManus Law Corporation

Phone 833 4720

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