A power of attorney lawyer can help you create or enforce legal authority for someone you trust to act on your behalf, from handling finances to healthcare and making critical business decisions when you can’t.
At Puff Sierzega & MacFeeters Law Offices, our power of attorney lawyers in Gloucester County, NJ, can guide you through crafting durable or medical powers of attorney (POAs) with clear language that holds up in Surrogate Court, particularly when health crises or elder-abuse risks emerge. If someone contests the POA, we can safeguard your rights and legacy.
Why a Power of Attorney is Crucial to Estate Planning
Powers of attorney are powerful estate-planning tools that address family dynamics, high-value assets, and sensitive medical decisions. However, they can likewise be sources of potential conflict, particularly during challenging moments, such as financial decline, a sudden diagnosis of dementia, or when a loved one has been confined in Jefferson Health or Inspira Medical Center for a long time.
Absent a well-drafted POA, families can hit roadblocks. Banks can refuse access to your loved one’s assets, credit-report agencies can lock accounts, or the state’s Surrogate’s office may demand excessive legal proof. Worse, misuse by an agent can lead to financial loss.
Statewide, the Adult Protective Services (APS) reports growing financial exploitation cases involving seniors and cognitively vulnerable adults. A strong POA helps you preempt that risk by naming a trusted agent with clearly defined powers before a crisis occurs.
Common Types of POA Cases We Handle
At Puff Law, our power of attorney lawyers routinely handle these cases:
- Durable Financial POA - Authorizes someone to pay bills, manage investments, and run your household finances
- Medical or Healthcare POA – Grants a person decision-making power over your major medical treatments, care settings, and end-of-life choices
- Limited or Transaction-Specific POA – For targeted duties, including selling a property, managing business deals, or dealing with a single creditor
- Revocation of POA – If trust erodes or succession changes, our POA lawyer in Gloucester County, NJ, can help you cancel or replace an existing agent
- Agent-Misuse Cases – When someone abusing their fiduciary role has damaged finances or betrayed your trust
- POA Disputes – In family conflicts, siblings, children, or other relatives may have differing views on who is best suited to make decisions
What Happens if Someone Challenges a Power of Attorney?
When someone challenges a POA, objections typically arise regarding capacity, undue influence, or improper execution. Our Gloucester County, NJ, power of attorney lawyers can prepare defenses that include:
- Demonstrating the principal’s capacity at the time of signing, using clinical evaluations
- Proving the document was signed free from coercion, gaslighting, or financial pressure
- Linking the bank and financial statements to the agent’s decisions, showing that the agent acted in good faith
- Ensuring the POA language meets New Jersey’s statutory requirements so banks and hospitals cannot refuse it
Our main goal is to protect the person granting the power and the agent acting under it, ensuring the arrangement aligns with the principal’s true intent.
Get Legal Assistance from Our Proactive Power of Attorney Lawyers
At Puff Law, we will explain your options, draft or update your documents, and design legal protections that match your relationships. If conflicts arise later, we can likewise help mediate or litigate to stabilize the arrangement and protect your wishes. If you or a loved one needs a power of attorney in Gloucester County, NJ, don’t wait for a crisis to start planning for your future. Schedule your confidential meeting online or call 856-845-0011.
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