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California Power of Attorney

A California Power of Attorney (PoA) is a legal document that grants a selected individual permission to handle legal matters on your behalf, such as selling your property, accessing bank accounts, and signing contracts.

The person granting control is called the "principal," and the person or entity gaining powers is called the "agent" or "attorney-in-fact." Suited for residents of California, our Power of Attorney can be used in Orange County, Los Angeles County, San Diego County, and in all other counties and municipalities in the state. All California PoA forms from Rocket Lawyer can be completely customized for your particular circumstances. This legal document will provide verification to financial institutions and other parties that your selected representative can act in your interest when you are not present or able.

It's quick and easy to assign or receive the support you need using a free California Power of Attorney template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make your document - Provide a few general details and we will do the rest
2. Send or share - Discuss the document with your agent or get legal advice
3. Sign it - Required or not, notarization and witnesses are encouraged

This method is, in many cases, notably less expensive than working with a traditional provider. If needed, you can fill out a PoA on behalf of a family member, and then have that person sign when ready. Please remember that for a PoA form to be valid, the principal must be an adult who is mentally competent at the time of signing. If the principal is already unable to make their own decisions, a court-appointed conservatorship might be required. When dealing with this situation, it's important to work with an attorney.

Every adult ought to have a Power of Attorney. Although it is tough to acknowledge, there will likely come a day when you are no longer able to handle your day-to-day affairs on your own. There will also be moments when you're merely out of reach. Here are a few typical occasions where a PoA can be helpful:

• You are getting older or have declining health or limited mobility
• You are living abroad or out of state
• You wish to grant a trusted person general authority to take legal actions on your behalf in the event that you are legally incapacitated or absent
• You currently live in a residential care facility and need help managing your finances

Whether this California Power of Attorney has been generated as part of a forward-looking plan or created as a result of an unexpected issue, notarization and/or witnesses are highly encouraged as a best practice for protecting your agent if a third party questions their privileges and authority.

There are multiple ways to categorize Power of Attorney documents. They are primarily based on when the powers come into effect, how long they will remain in effect, and what they will provide authority over. Often, you may see them separated into the four groups below:

• Durable Power of Attorney - Will remain valid even if you become mentally incompetent or incapacitated
• Springing Power of Attorney - Will come into effect based on certain guidelines
• General Power of Attorney - Will grant a broad scope of authority over your affairs
• Special Power of Attorney - Will grant limited authority over specified matters

When generating your free California Power of Attorney with Rocket Lawyer, you may opt to have the power begin on a desired date, immediately, or only when you are no longer capable. The Power of Attorney may end on a particular date or upon your death.

California Power of Attorney forms are normally straightforward, but you or your agent could still have questions. The answer can depend on whom you ask, but quite often some lawyers will not even accept requests to review a document if they were not the author. An easier approach would be via Rocket Lawyer attorney services. When you become a Premium member, you will be able to ask for guidance from an attorney with relevant experience or get answers to additional questions related to your Power of Attorney. As always, we are here for you.

The cost of finding and working with a conventional attorney to produce a Power of Attorney could be between $200 and $500. When using Rocket Lawyer, you aren't just filling out a Power of Attorney template. In case you ever need help from a lawyer, your Premium membership offers up to a 40% discount when you hire an On Call attorney.

As a Rocket Lawyer member, you can edit it, download it as a Word or PDF file, and/or print it out. To make your Power of Attorney truly legal, you will need to sign it. Your agent(s), financial institutions, and other impacted parties should get a copy of the final document.

The specifications governing PoA forms will be different in each state; however, in California, your Power of Attorney will need the signatures of two witnesses or a notary public. If your agent will have the ability to handle real estate transactions, the Power of Attorney must be acknowledged by a notary public and recorded or filed with your county. Finally, as a basic rule, witnesses must be over 18 years old, and none of them should also be acting as your agent.

See California Power of Attorney law: § 4121 - 4130