What to Do If You Have No One to Appoint as Attorney

Written by Anthony Dalton · Reviewed by James Tyrrell · Last reviewed 9 April 2026

If you have no family or close friends to appoint as your LPA attorney, you can use a professional attorney (such as a solicitor) or a trust corporation instead. Your attorney does not need to be a relative — anyone aged 18 or over with mental capacity can fill the role. Here is everything you need to know about your options.

More People Face This Than You Think

There is sometimes an assumption that creating a Lasting Power of Attorney is straightforward — just pick a family member and fill in the form. In reality, millions of people in England and Wales do not have an obvious person to appoint. Single people, those without children, people who have moved away from family, or anyone whose relatives are elderly or unwell themselves — all face this challenge.

The Office of the Public Guardian registers hundreds of thousands of LPAs every year, and a significant number of those involve professional attorneys or people outside the donor’s immediate family. So if you are struggling with this, know that you are in good company.

Why Every LPA Needs at Least One Attorney

Before looking at your options, it helps to understand why this matters. Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, a Lasting Power of Attorney must name at least one attorney. There is no way around this. The entire purpose of an LPA is to give a specific, named person the legal authority to act on your behalf — so without an attorney, the document simply cannot exist.

That said, the law does not require your attorney to be a family member. It does not even require them to be someone you know personally. As long as the person is aged 18 or over and has mental capacity, they can be your attorney. This opens up more possibilities than many people expect.

Think Wider Than Immediate Family

When people say they have “no one” to appoint, they often mean they have no spouse, no children, or no siblings nearby. That is understandable — those are the people most guides suggest first. But the pool of eligible attorneys is much wider than your immediate family.

Take a moment to think about who else is in your life:

• Close friends — even if you would not call them “best friends”, a reliable and trustworthy friend can be an excellent attorney
• Neighbours — particularly if you have known them for years and trust their judgement
• Former colleagues — someone you worked closely with and respect may be willing to help
• Members of your community — people from a faith group, social club, or volunteer organisation you are part of
• Extended family — nieces, nephews, cousins, or in-laws you have a good relationship with

The right attorney does not need to be a financial expert or legally trained. What matters is that they are someone you trust, someone who will act in your best interests, and someone who is willing to take on the responsibility. Our guide on who can be an attorney for an LPA covers the full eligibility rules.

Appointing a Professional Attorney

If there really is no one in your personal life you would feel comfortable appointing, a professional attorney is a well-established alternative. Solicitors, accountants, and other regulated professionals can act as your attorney and are experienced in managing other people’s affairs.

This route has real advantages:

• They are regulated — solicitors are overseen by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, giving you an extra layer of protection
• They have experience — managing someone’s finances or liaising with care providers is part of their day job
• There is no emotional conflict — a professional makes decisions based on your stated wishes and best interests, without family dynamics getting in the way
• Continuity planning — a firm can ensure cover even if an individual solicitor retires or moves on

The main consideration is cost. Professional attorneys charge for their time, and fees are paid from your assets. Solicitors typically charge between £150 and £300 per hour, though some offer fixed-fee packages for ongoing LPA management. It is worth getting a clear fee agreement in writing before you appoint anyone.

Our guide on whether attorneys can be paid explains how professional fees work in practice.

How to Find a Professional Attorney

If you decide a professional attorney is the right route, here is how to find one:

• Law Society Solicitor Search: Visit solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk and search for local solicitors who specialise in wills, probate, and Court of Protection work — these are typically the firms most experienced in acting as attorneys.
• STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners): Visit step.org/directory for specialists in trusts, estates, and lasting power of attorney matters.
• Local firms: Call two or three local solicitors and ask whether they act as professional attorneys and what their fees are. Get any fee agreement in writing before you sign anything.

When speaking to a professional, ask these key questions:

• What do you charge, and how are fees calculated — hourly or percentage of assets?
• How do you handle succession if the individual attorney retires or leaves the firm?
• How often will you review and report back to me while I still have capacity?
• Are you registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) or another regulated body?

Can I Appoint an Attorney Who Lives Abroad?

Yes — there is no legal requirement for your LPA attorney to live in England or Wales, or even in the UK. An overseas family member or friend can legally be named as your attorney.

However, practical considerations apply. An attorney living abroad may find it harder to attend in person at banks, care homes, or hospitals, and some UK institutions may be less willing to deal with an attorney who cannot easily be contacted during UK business hours. If your overseas attorney is your only reliable option, consider also naming a UK-based professional attorney or trust corporation as a replacement, so there is always someone locally available if needed.

For a broader look at international considerations, see our guide on LPAs for expats and British citizens abroad.

Appointing a Trust Corporation

A trust corporation is an organisation — rather than an individual — that can act as your attorney. These are typically specialist departments within banks, law firms, or dedicated trust companies. Some well-known examples include the trust arms of major high-street banks and national solicitor networks.

The advantage of a trust corporation over an individual professional is permanence. A person can fall ill, retire, or die. A trust corporation does not. This makes them particularly attractive if you have no replacement attorneys to fall back on.

Trust corporations usually charge an annual management fee, often calculated as a percentage of the estate’s value. This can become expensive over time, so it is worth comparing options carefully and understanding exactly what you will be paying for.

What If You Genuinely Cannot Find Anyone?

If you have explored every option — personal contacts, professionals, trust corporations — and still cannot find someone suitable, then the difficult truth is that you cannot create an LPA. The law requires a named attorney, and there is no mechanism for the state to assign one for you at this stage.

That does not mean you will be left without any protection. If you later lose mental capacity and need someone to manage your affairs, a family member, friend, social worker, or local authority can apply to the Court of Protection for a deputyship order. The court will then appoint a deputy to act on your behalf.

Deputyship is a workable fallback, but it has significant downsides compared to an LPA:

• Cost — the application fee alone is £371, plus court costs and potential solicitor fees, often exceeding £1,000 in total
• Time — applications typically take several months to process
• You lose the choice — a judge decides who manages your affairs, not you
• Ongoing supervision — deputies must submit annual reports to the OPG and pay an annual supervision fee

Our guide on what happens without an LPA explains the full consequences in detail.

Replacement Attorneys When Your Options Are Limited

If you do manage to find someone to act as your attorney, naming a replacement attorney becomes even more important. A replacement steps in automatically if your original attorney dies, loses capacity, or decides they can no longer act.

Without a replacement, the loss of your only attorney could leave you in exactly the same position as having no LPA at all. If you have already lost capacity by that point, you cannot create a new one, and someone would need to go through the Court of Protection.

Even if your replacement is not your ideal first choice, having someone named in reserve is far better than having no backup. Consider mixing approaches — for example, a friend as your primary attorney and a professional solicitor as your replacement, or the other way around.

Why an Imperfect LPA Is Still Better Than No LPA

Some people put off creating an LPA because their options are not perfect. They worry about appointing someone who is not a close relative, or they feel uncomfortable asking a friend or professional to take on the role. That hesitation is understandable — but it can be costly.

Consider what happens without an LPA. If you lose mental capacity, your bank accounts could be frozen. No one can sell your property to fund your care. Medical decisions may be made by people who do not know your wishes. The only route to regaining control is through the Court of Protection — a process that is slow, expensive, and stressful for everyone involved.

An LPA with a trusted friend, a reliable neighbour, or a professional solicitor is vastly better than that. Your attorney is legally bound to act in your best interests under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They are overseen by the OPG. And if they ever fail in their duties, they can be investigated and removed.

Put simply: an imperfect LPA gives you a voice when you can no longer speak for yourself. No LPA leaves that entirely to chance.

Practical Steps to Take Now

If you are reading this and feeling unsure where to start, here are some concrete next steps:

The LPA registration fee is £92, and once registered, it remains valid for the rest of your life. You can always review your choice of attorney later and create a new LPA if your circumstances change — as long as you still have mental capacity to do so. Our guide on LPAs for people living alone covers more of the specific challenges and planning tips for those without a partner or family nearby.

Common Questions About Appointing an Attorney

This guide was last reviewed and updated on 9 April 2026. Information is based on current legislation and OPG guidance for England and Wales.

Back to Guides