Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Powers of Attorney

Given the increasing prevalence of coronavirus infections in Victoria and the likelihood that more and more of us will need to self-quarantine or self-isolate, now is the time to ensure you’ve got adequate Powers of Attorney in place.

Practically speaking, being required to self-quarantine or self-isolate means you may struggle to get those things done which you ordinarily took for granted, such as attend the bank, sign documents, or even authorise and implement commercial decisions. While technical advances have certainly made this easier, there will be limits to what you can do. Fortunately, a power of attorney can significantly help.

For more information on Powers of Attorney in general, read our article, ‘What is a Power of Attorney?’.

We strongly recommend you consider whether you need to make any of the following:

1. Appointment of a medical treatment decision maker, being somebody who can make important medical and related decisions for you, should you not have the capacity to do so yourself.
2. Appointment of an enduring power of attorney, being somebody who can make and give effect to legal and financial decisions on your behalf.
3. Power of attorneys for companies, which can provide authorisation to individuals to give effect to decisions made by directors of the company.

If you have an issue regarding Powers of Attorney and believe you could benefit expert legal assistance, please Contact Us or one of our Wills & Estate Lawyers at DSA Law on (03) 8595 9580.