Choosing attorneys for an LPA
Pick people who are trustworthy with the specific decisions in question, organised enough to keep records, and willing to act. Family position matters far less than reliability — the eldest child is not automatically the right choice.
Make your LPA online for £49
Answer simple questions. We prepare your LPA documents from your answers, ready for the next steps.
- £49 per LPA, or £79 for both types
- No solicitor required for straightforward LPAs
- Plain English questions, one screen at a time
- Save your progress and come back to it
- Checked for common completion errors as you go
- Review everything before you pay
The Office of the Public Guardian charges a separate £92 to register each LPA.
What to look for
- Trust with money, for a financial LPA — this is the whole point of the document.
- Comfort talking to doctors and care staff, for a health LPA.
- Reasonable admin ability: attorneys must keep accounts and records.
- Geography, for health decisions — a nearby attorney is often more use than a competent one 300 miles away.
- Willingness. Ask before you name anyone.
None of this is about seniority or affection. A donor can love all their children equally and still recognise that only one of them answers the phone reliably, keeps receipts, or is comfortable arguing with a bank. The LPA is a job description, not a reward.
Structure the appointment sensibly
- One attorney is simplest but has no backup — always name a replacement.
- Two attorneys jointly and severally is the most practical arrangement for most families.
- Appointing everyone jointly to keep the peace usually creates paralysis instead.
- Different attorneys on the financial and health LPAs is perfectly normal.
One attorney versus several: the honest trade-off
| Choice | Advantage | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| One child as sole attorney | Fast, simple, no need for agreement | No cover if they die, fall ill or move abroad; can feel unfair to siblings |
| Two children, jointly and severally | Cover for each other; either can act alone | Requires basic trust between them; one may do more work than the other |
| Three or four children, jointly | Looks even-handed | Every transaction needs every signature; one absence stops everything |
| All children, jointly for property only | Protects the family home from a unilateral sale | Wording must be precise or the OPG queries it |
A common instinct is to appoint every adult child to avoid singling anyone out. In practice this rarely produces fairness — it produces delay, because banks and care providers then need every signature for every decision, however small. If keeping the peace matters, consider naming one or two as attorneys and the others as replacements, or splitting money and health between siblings so everyone has a defined role.
Worked example: the Whitfield family
Margaret Whitfield has three adult children — Paul, Sara and Tom. To avoid favouritism she initially wants all three appointed jointly on both LPAs. Paul lives round the corner and would do almost all the day-to-day work; Sara lives in Leeds and Tom works offshore for weeks at a time. Appointed jointly, every bank instruction, care decision or bill payment would need all three to sign, including Tom when he is out of contact. If Margaret later loses capacity and needs a care home fee paid quickly, the LPA cannot be used until Tom is reachable.
Margaret instead appoints Paul and Sara jointly and severally, with Tom named as a replacement attorney who steps in only if one of them cannot act. Either Paul or Sara can deal with the bank or the care home immediately, Tom is not shut out of the arrangement altogether, and no single decision depends on someone who might be at sea.
Common questions
Do I have to appoint the same attorneys on both LPAs?
No. The financial and health LPAs are separate documents. Many donors appoint the same people on both for simplicity, but different attorneys — for example one child good with money and another closer to hand for care decisions — is common and entirely valid.
What if none of my children are suitable?
Attorneys do not have to be family. A trusted friend, a sibling, or a professional such as a solicitor can act instead. See who can be an attorney for the eligibility rules.
Can I change my mind about who I have appointed?
Only by making a new LPA while you still have mental capacity. See pricing and how it works for what that involves.
Read next
Where this fits
This page is part of Attorneys and certificate providers. The pages below take it further.
- Make an LPA online
The whole journey end to end: questions, documents, signing and registration.
- The LPA forms explained
LP1F, LP1H and LP3 — what each section asks and where people go wrong.
Making your own LPA?
Name your attorneys, set how they must decide together, and we prepare the forms for £49.
The Office of the Public Guardian charges a separate £92 to register each LPA.
This is general information about Lasting Powers of Attorney in England and Wales. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice about your situation. What we do and do not do.