Why Choose Us?
Majumdar Law works with individual clients on the preparation of wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives. In particular, Majumdar Law offers a flat rate fee for each the following:
- Simple will
- General or Specific Power of Attorney
- Medical Power of Attorney
- Heath Care Directive / Living Will
FAQs
What’s the difference between a will, a power of attorney, and a health care directive?
These documents cover different things and take effect at different times. A will only controls what happens to your assets after you die — it names an executor and says who gets what — and has no effect while you’re alive. A power of attorney (general or specific) lets someone you trust, your “agent,” manage your financial and legal affairs while you’re alive, whether because you’re unavailable or because you’ve become incapacitated. A medical power of attorney is similar but limited to health care decisions, letting your agent make medical choices for you if you can’t communicate them yourself. A health care directive (or living will) is different still — instead of naming someone to decide for you, it states your own wishes in advance about end-of-life care, such as whether you want life-sustaining treatment withheld in specific circumstances. Most people benefit from having all four.
I don’t have significant assets — do I really need a will?
Often, yes, and it has less to do with the size of your estate than with who you want making decisions. If you die without a will in Pennsylvania, state intestacy law — not you — decides who inherits, and the result can surprise people: for example, if you have a spouse and children from a prior relationship, Pennsylvania law splits your estate 50/50 between your spouse and those children, rather than leaving everything to your spouse. A will also lets you name a guardian for minor children, choose your executor instead of leaving it to the courts, and avoid unnecessary friction among family members during an already difficult time. A simple will is a relatively small, one-time cost to prevent that.
What’s the difference between a General Power of Attorney and a Specific Power of Attorney?
A general power of attorney gives your agent broad authority to act on your behalf across most or all of your financial and legal affairs — banking, real estate, taxes, contracts, and so on. A specific (or “limited”) power of attorney restricts your agent’s authority to a particular transaction or purpose, like selling one piece of property or handling a single account, and expires once that task is done or on a date you set. Which one makes sense depends on how much you want to delegate and for how long — we help clients think through that scope rather than defaulting to the broadest version.
How is a power of attorney made legally valid in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has specific execution formalities for a power of attorney to be enforceable, and banks and other institutions are increasingly strict about checking for them. In general, the document must be signed by you, signed by two adult witnesses, and acknowledged before a notary public, and it must include a specific statutory notice — printed in capital letters — explaining the scope of authority you’re granting and recommending that you get legal advice before signing. Your agent also has to sign a separate acknowledgment agreeing to act within that authority and in your best interests. A document that’s missing any of these pieces risks being rejected by a bank or challenged later, which is why it’s worth having it prepared correctly the first time.