Altman & Associates 30th-anniversary logo, horizontal, white.
301-468-3220Request a Consultation
A hand paints an abstract canvas in blue, teal, and orange hues.

Healthcare and Financial Power of Attorneys

What Is A Power of Attorney?

A power of attorney is a legal document that grants an agent, or attorney-in-fact, decision-making authority. The principal is the person granting authority, and the agent is the person accepting it. The agent does not actually need to be an attorney — an individual the principal trusts.

  1. Select an agent. First, you must select a trusted person to be your agent. You may also select a second agent to fill in if the first agent can no longer do so. Agents have great responsibility, so selecting someone you trust is critical.
  2. Determine the power of attorney type and scope. Do you want a financial power of attorney or a healthcare power of attorney? Do you want to give broad authority to your agent, or do you want to enumerate specific powers more limited in scope? If you want an agent to decide on both finances and healthcare, you must have two power of attorney documents; under Maryland law, a single document purporting to grant both is not legally valid.
  3. Create a power of attorney document. Any document that grants authority to another person to act on your behalf can be a power of attorney. However, Maryland has created a specific power of attorney, called a Statutory Form Limited Power of Attorney, and has a template for use. An online service provider can help you create the power of attorney. In the document, the principal should be specific about what kind of authority the power of attorney grants.
  4. Execute the power of attorney. To finalize the power of attorney, the principal must sign the document in front of a notary public and two adult witnesses. The witnesses must also sign the document in front of the principal. Unless otherwise noted, the power of attorney immediately takes effect upon execution.

A power of attorney grants an agent or attorney-in-fact the authority to decide for the principal. It can be a broad, or general, power of attorney, or a limited power of attorney, which permits the agent to make only certain kinds of decisions, manage specific accounts, or carry out transactions. Maryland's Office of the Attorney General provides a template for the limited power of attorney.

Ready to protect your future with a tailored power of attorney? Contact Altman & Associates online or call us at (301) 468-3220 today to ensure your legal authority is in trusted hands.

Testimonials

I was the personal representative of an estate and I hired Gary to represent me in the estate process, he was extreemly knowledgeable and responsive in the representation. I would not hesitate to recommend him.

Temple

Needed trusts, medical directives and wills. Extremely professional and thorough services, carried out with courtesy and nice mints!

Robert Goodfellow

I absolutely recommend Gary Altman, and have already referred friends and family to him. From the initial consultation that my husband and I had with him, we knew we could trust him and count on him to make sure our affairs are taken care of. We actually asked him to “rush” our documents (due to medical emergencies) and we were accommodated with no problems. The team at Altman & Associates made our process so easy and painless. I have also brought in my parents and they also had a fantastic experience, and it was such a pleasure working with Gary Altman. My family and I will absolutely continue to work with him and his firm for years to come.

Client

Personal service that is totally professionally attentive and takes the attitude of “deliver the best” and absolutely succeeds.

Barton & Carolyn

I have referred numerous clients to Gary and all have reported back as being extremely pleased. From the easiest to much more complex estate and probe issues he can boil them down and communicate them in a way that is very plain and understandable to the client. His “bedside” manner and ability to communicate are excellent and his legal skill and strategic approach are top notch.

Attorney

For the past twenty years, Gary Altman has provided my wife and I with expert, superior, professional advise and counsel with respect to our estate planning, trusts, and period review/modifications. He has also guided the registration and charter processs for our LLC, focused upon management consulting but with a wide, optional practice domain. We have recommended Gary to numerous friends and a few relatives, who have used his services and benefited from his insights and counsel with total satisfaction. He is thorough, pragmatic, learned and quite capable of explaining any particular legal approach in “plain english” – understandable to the professional or layperson. Moreover, since entering into his private practice many years ago, we have found his office staff to be consistently responsive, proactive and “sharp” in providing any necessary logistical assistance to both trivial and serious matters at hand. Having myself worked in the international field for over 35 years, I have found Gary to relate quite well to international affairs and to related matters of legal concern, which are of extreme benefit to my foreign national colleagues residing in the US as visa-holders and/or dual-citizen US passport holders (e.g., taxes, property ownership, trusts, etc.) Unequivocably, Gary Altman is five-star in every respect.

Allen Shapiro