Powers of Attorney

Give Someone You Trust the Authority to Help You, Before You Need Them To.

A power of attorney gives another person the legal authority to act on your behalf. Without one, even the people closest to you may be unable to access your accounts, manage your property, or make decisions if you become ill, injured, or incapacitated.

What a Power of Attorney Actually Does

Most people don’t realize they need one until they’re in the middle of a situation where it’s too late to fix easily.

Financial Power of Attorney

Authorizes your chosen agent to manage your finances, pay bills, access accounts, handle real estate transactions, if you’re unable to do so.

Healthcare Power of Attorney

Authorizes your chosen agent to make medical decisions on your behalf when you cannot make them yourself. Often paired with an advance directive or living will.

Durable Power of Attorney

A “durable” POA remains valid even if you become incapacitated, which is exactly when you need it. If you already have a POA, confirm it’s durable.

What Happens Without One

Most people assume their spouse or adult children can automatically step in and handle things if they are incapacitated. In Tennessee, that assumption is wrong.

Without a valid power of attorney, your family must go to court to obtain legal authority to act on your behalf. That process, a conservatorship or guardianship proceeding, typically takes several months, carries court costs and attorney fees, and requires ongoing court oversight afterward. It is significantly more expensive and time-consuming than setting up a POA in advance.

Situations where this matters in practice:

Your spouse needs to access accounts to pay bills while you are hospitalized. The accounts are primarily in your name. Without a financial POA, the bank may refuse to cooperate, even with your spouse.

You have had a stroke. Your adult child needs to defer a mortgage payment, manage your finances, or sell an asset to cover care costs. Without a POA, they need a court order for each action.

You are traveling internationally and become incapacitated. Your family is here. They cannot act.

The most common mistake:

Signing a power of attorney that is not durable. A standard POA terminates when you become incapacitated, which is exactly the moment you need it most. A durable POA explicitly remains in effect even if you become incapacitated. If you already have a POA, confirm it is durable.

This document takes a single appointment to set up. Not having it when you need it requires months and a court proceeding to fix. The comparison is not close.

If Any of These Apply to You, Don’t Wait

• You have children who depend on you
• You have an aging parent who hasn’t set up a POA yet
• You recently got married or divorced
• You own property
• You had a health scare and it made you think

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Flat-Fee Pricing

Powers of attorney are handled at a flat fee, starting at $300: or $400 if you need both durable and healthcare powers of attorney. These are baselines; your final fee depends on your situation.