Wills and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care

Unmarried couples living together often wish to share property ownership and make crucial life decisions together. There are several methods to share property rights that are recognized by the law, including joint tenancies, cohabitation agreements or “living together” contracts, and wills. This is estate planning. If couples want their life decisions to have legal validity, particularly decisions regarding medical treatment and finances, they should create what is known as the durable power of attorney.

Wills

A will is a legal document that details what an individual would like done with his or her property and assets after death. If you have property you wish your cohabitant to receive after your death, you need to describe the property in your will and indicate your wish. Otherwise, if you don’t have a will to detail your wishes, your property will pass according to what are called intestate succession laws.

In most states, intestate succession statutes automatically distribute your property to your closest family members, i.e. your spouse, children, parents, etc. Without a will, your cohabitant won’t receive any of your estate unless he or she is successful in arguing that you had a financial or property-sharing arrangement. Such claims are often difficult to prove, particularly with the lack of any formal documents. Drafting a will is generally the best way to ensure your property is passed to whom you wish.

However, if you and your cohabitant are joint owners of the property, you may wish to consider a joint tenancy with a right of survivorship instead of a will. Joint tenancies give the cohabitants the ability to share the rights and responsibilities associated with the property during their lifetimes. Then, upon the death of one joint tenant, title to the property automatically passes to the other, without the need to go through the formal probate process a will requires. There are other benefits to a joint tenancy, such as tax savings, documentation of commitment, and the sharing of debt.

Durable Powers of Attorney

When you create a “power of attorney,” you have authorized another person to make decisions on your behalf, particularly decisions that may have a legal effect. If you want the person making decisions for you (let’s say it is your unmarried partner) to be able to do so even if you become incapacitated and unable to make decisions for yourself, then you will have to make those legal powers “durable.” If you don’t explicitly make the power of attorney durable, they will end if you become incapacitated and your unmarried partner may have to go to court to ask the judge to continue managing your affairs.

Power of Attorney for Finances

There are generally two types of durable power of attorney, but this can vary depending upon the state you reside in. The first type, called the durable financial power of attorney, applies only to financial decisions. If you grant someone the durable financial power of attorney over your affairs, he or she will be able to manage your finances when you become unable, and must always act in your best interests.

Power of Attorney for Health Care

Second, there is a durable power of attorney for health care. While state regulations vary, the durable power of attorney for health care, otherwise known as a “medical directive,” allows you to name someone to direct your medical care if you become incapacitated. When creating a medical directive, you make what is called a health care declaration, or medical directive. The health care declaration sets out how you should be cared for in an emergency or if you are incapacitated. Specifically, you can direct which treatments you want to receive and which you do not. Life-prolonging treatments like resuscitation are often addressed in a medical directive, as are directions regarding quality of life and end of life treatments.

Once you have granted a durable power of attorney for medical care, the person you nominated to make decisions on your behalf will be able to:

• Make medical decisions on your behalf, if you have not already made specific instructions regarding that decision in your medical directive
• Enforce your health care decisions in court, if necessary
• Hire and fire doctors and medical workers involved in your treatment
• Have access to your medical records
• Have visitation rights

Free Consultation with a Utah Estate Lawyer

When you need help with a will, trust, or estate, call Ascent Law for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. Because I am a probate lawyer, I can help you.

Michael Anderson

People who want a lot of Bull go to a Butcher. People who want results navigating a complex legal field go to a Lawyer that they can trust. That’s where I come in. I am Michael Anderson, an Attorney in the Salt Lake area focusing on the needs of the Average Joe wanting a better life for him and his family. I’m the Lawyer you can trust. I grew up in Utah and love it here. I am a Father to three, a Husband to one, and an Entrepreneur. I understand the feelings of joy each of those roles bring, and I understand the feeling of disappointment, fear, and regret when things go wrong. I attended the University of Utah where I received a B.A. degree in 2010 and a J.D. in 2014. I have focused my practice in Wills, Trusts, Real Estate, and Business Law. I love the thrill of helping clients secure their future, leaving a real legacy to their children. Unfortunately when problems arise with families. I also practice Family Law, with a focus on keeping relationships between the soon to be Ex’s civil for the benefit of their children and allowing both to walk away quickly with their heads held high. Before you worry too much about losing everything that you have worked for, before you permit yourself to be bullied by your soon to be ex, before you shed one more tear in silence, call me. I’m the Lawyer you can trust.

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