Introduction to Power of Attorney

This publication tells you how a power of attorney can be used to give someone the legal power to take care of financial and legal matters for you. It explains the types of power of attorney, who can be an attorney, what powers and responsibilities the attorney has, and how to end a power of attorney.

The information is produced for educational purposes and is not intended as legal advice. If you need advice about a specific legal problem, please contact a legal professional. Some sources of legal help are highlighted in the Where to Get Help section.

We have tried to use clear language throughout. See the Glossary section for definitions of key legal terms.

The information is current to October 2015.

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by People's Law School, 2015.

Power of Attorney © People's Law School is, except for the images, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.