AnEnglishPowerofAttorney(POA)isalegaldocumentthatgrantsoneperson(the"agent"or"attorney-in-fact")theauthoritytoactonbehalfofanotherperson(the"principal")inspecifiedlegal,financial,orpersonalmatters.Thisauthorizationcanbebroadorlimitedinscope,dependingontheprincipal'sneeds.CommontypesincludeGeneralPOA(forwide-rangingauthority),SpecialPOA(forspecifictasks),andDurablePOA(whichremainsvalidiftheprincipalbecomesincapacitated).Thedocumentmustcomplywithlocallaws,oftenrequiringnotarizationorwitnesssignatures.Itiswidelyusedforpropertytransactions,healthcaredecisions,orbusinessmanagementwhentheprincipalcannotbepresent.Alwaysconsultalegalprofessionaltoensurevalidity.
