Power of attorney

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A few years ago I used a solicitor to make a will. Shortly after that I bought a house and used his services again. At one stage during the signing of house purchase documents with his secretary I was asked to sign a paper to give power of attorney and was told that the solicitor could then act on my behalf if I was out of the country etc. and I signed for it. Now I'm wondering if this is common practice? Thanks in advance
 
It is a helpful way of overcoming the administration issues with clients overseas. However you should not give a general power of attorney, it should be specific to the transaction.
 
If you're concerned about it, ask the Solicitor for a copy of it. If you're uncomfortable with what you see, you could write to the Solicitor formally revoking it. It should only be specific to the transaction. I'm not sure that it's common practice, but I've seen it being done before.
 
As DeeKie says, they're often used in a limited manner to complete a house purchase and save you travelling each time a document needs to be signed. It is likely that the power assigned in this case was limited to the house purchase, but a quick call will confirm.
 
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