Can my friend write the power of attorney herself?

The laws respecting the creation of a power of attorney require that certain formalities are adhered to, otherwise the document will be void. Therefore, your friend might wish to seek advice from a lawyer, or perhaps a social agency, if she wants to make a power of attorney.

For example, the document will have to be dated and signed before a witness. There will likely be rules regarding who can be a witness to the document, which might easily be broken without prior knowledge of those rules.

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January 2006

see also:

• More Abuse of Older Adults FAQs

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