规划与授权书-弗吉尼亚州统一授权书法案- 2012年10月

我在维吉尼亚州从事法律工作近30年，主要专注于 estate planning and administration, and related business succession planning. Over the last decade, 我发现，围绕律师权力的使用和滥用的问题和争议的数量急剧增加. This is probably due to a number of different factors, including our increasingly litigious population, 通过互联网和其他来源方便地访问表单文档, 在许多情况下，第三方历来不愿接受委托书, 事实上，由于医学的进步，人们的寿命更长了.

2002年的一项全国性研究显示，各州在代理权方面的立法分歧越来越大，这导致了《现金网官网》(UPOAA)的颁布。, 弗吉尼亚州于2010年通过，现在全美50个州和哥伦比亚特区都在采用.  而实施UPOAA的《现金网官网》的相关条款已被废除, effective October 2012,  从那时起，它们将被重新认证为新的法定章节编号, and the UPOAA will remain substantively intact.

In general, there are two types of powers of attorney, one in which the principal grants to another individual, the agent, the immediate right to act on his or her behalf, and the other, sometimes referred to as a “springing” power of attorney, 什么赋予代理人在满足某些条件的情况下采取行动的权力, 通常在委托人精神上或身体上丧失行为能力时.

The UPOAA clarifies and simplifies a number of Virginia statutes which can now be incorporated by specific reference by a principal in his or her power of attorney without having to list each and every power separately; these statutes will be specifically referenced in new title 64.2 of the Virginia Code, effective October 2012.

On the other hand, there are a number of powers, typically known as “hot powers,，委托人只有在委托书中明确提及代理人，才能授予代理人;

·         Creating, amending or revoking an inter vivos trust

·馈赠金额大于代理人通常的馈赠方式

·         Creating or modifying survivorship accounts

·创建或修改计划或保单上的受益人指定

·将授权委托书授权给第三方

·放弃委托人根据共同年金和遗属年金或退休计划获得利益的权利

·行使委托人可能被委托的信托权力.

The UPOAA also offers liability protection for third parties, such as banks and financial institutions, 哪些依赖并接受一份正确执行和公证的授权书. Conversely, 对于拒绝接受正确执行和公证的委托书的第三方，现在有法定处罚. Historically, 客户经常遇到银行或金融机构不接受有效授权书的困难，仅仅因为它是一份较旧的文件.

UPOAA实施的一个重大变化是，在7月1日或之后执行的任何授权书, 2010 is now presumed to be durable, 也就是说，即使委托人丧失行为能力，它仍然具有法律效力, unless the document expressly provides otherwise.

I advise clients that a power of attorney is, as the name suggests, 这是一份非常“有力”的文件，委托人不应该在没有对其实质性条款和被授权根据该条款行事的代理人进行相当仔细和考虑的情况下执行. Depending on family dynamics, a family member may or may not always be the best choice to name as an agent under a power of attorney; in some circumstances naming several agents with the requirement that they act jointly may be an appropriate choice.

如果家庭成员或任何利害关系人怀疑拥有有效授权书的代理人滥用职权，没有为委托人的最大利益行事,  现在有适当的法定补救措施，可以要求代理人提供会计信息, 要么在委托人在世时，要么在委托人去世后, 在被委托人死亡之日之前的五年内.

In conclusion, 而在过去两年中，弗吉尼亚州管理委托书的法定框架发生了巨大变化, lending a greater degree of clarity and specificity in this area, 适当起草的授权书可以大大提高遗产计划, 如果不仔细监督，它们还可能为欺诈和滥用提供机会.

Written by H. Alexander Johnson.