Legal insight: Does a power of attorney last or does it endure?

Powers of attorney are potent documents. They permit a person, known as the "donor", to appoint trusted individuals to take potentially crucial decisions on their behalf. Such powers are not to be entered into lightly and should be considered as important as, and stored alongside, one's will. Prior to 1 October 2007, powers of attorney took the form of an enduring power of attorney (EPA). Since that date, EPAs have been replaced by lasting powers of attorney (LPA) but they have not disappeared from legal view. The apparently innocuous nuance in terminology is misleading; there are ...