The Stranger - a Halloween horror story
26 Oct 2026
"James was 32 and had always been independent.
He lived alone, worked hard and looked after himself.
He never thought about what would happen if he couldn’t make his own decisions.
Why would he?
He was young, healthy and had his whole life ahead of him.
But one day, when James was on his way home from work, he was involved in a serious car accident.
Everything changed overnight.
He survived, but could no longer make decisions for himself.
His family wanted to help. They needed to deal with his bills, access his finances and make decisions while he recovered.
But they couldn’t.
James hadn’t made a Lasting Power of Attorney.
His family had to go through the courts to get the legal authority they needed.
Then they received the letter, but it was from someone they didn’t know.
Someone had been appointed to help manage James’ affairs.
They had never met him.
James had never met him.
And James had never or would have ever chosen him.
A stranger was now involved in decisions about James' life."
The lesson
An LPA isn’t just something to think about when you’re older.
Life can change in an instant, and if you can't make decisions for yourself, your family may not automatically have the legal authority to step in. They may need to apply to the Court of Protection instead, which can be costly, take time and leave decisions about your affairs outside of your hands.
Why is an LPA so important?
None of us knows what is around the corner.
An accident, illness or something unexpected could leave you unable to manage your finances or make important decisions for yourself.
Having an LPA in place means someone you’ve chosen and trust can step in when you need them most, to help manage your affairs and make decisions on your behalf.
There are different types of LPA depending on the decisions you want someone to be able to make.
To find out more, we’ve explained what a Lasting Power of Attorney is, how they work and the difference between the two types in our blog here: https://sortlegal.co.uk/blogs/lasting-power-of-attorney-vs-court-of-protection-what-s-the-difference
Don’t leave the decision to a stranger.
You can’t predict what might happen in the future, but you can make plans for it.
If you’re thinking of putting an LPA in place but not sure where to start, contact our Wills, Trusts and Probate team today.
Telephone: 0333 323 1091
Email: wtp@sortlegal.co.uk