Pennsylvanians Face New Requirements for Effective POAs Written in 2015

Starting on January 1, 2015, Pennsylvanians have new rules that apply in order to create effective Powers of Attorney (POAs).  The changes are wrought by Act 95 of 2014, and were stimulated in large part by a case decided in 2010 that invalidated a POA that had been executed under suspicious circumstances.  We discussed the background here.

There are important, and sometimes subtle options for principals to consider in accepting or rejecting the “default rules” in the Act.  All of the changes were intended to provide better protections for principals from abuse by agents, but not all principals will want those protections, particularly if it means more risk of third-party intervention or oversight.  For an up-to-date and thoughtful summary of the changes and implications, read ElderLawGuy Jeff Marshall’s recent blog post on “What You Need to Know.”

For attorneys seeking the latest information on POA drafting and best practices, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute is offering several CLE programs around the state in January 2015.