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09 July 2021 / Tom Hall
Issue: 7940 / Categories: Features , Wills & Probate , In Court , Court of Protection
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Property & finances: capacity matters

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Tom Hall provides a practical guide to capacity & the appointment of attorneys & deputies
  • Explores some of the differences between capacity to create a property and financial affairs lasting power of attorney, and capacity to manage property and financial affairs.
  • Some tips for the preparation of instructions to specialist capacity assessors.

The number of applications being made annually to the Court of Protection for the appointment of a property and financial affairs deputy has been steadily increasing since the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act in 2007. Similarly, we have also seen sustained growth for over a decade in the number of Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) being registered annually with the Office of the Public Guardian. Unsurprisingly, the latest statistics, published by the Family Court last month, reveal that there was a decrease in the number of deputies appointed and LPA applications registered during first quarter of 2021 when compared with the first quarter of 2020. It is evident that lockdowns and the wider impact of

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NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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