Okuzeka
Law vocabulary · Rights & Obligations

Power of attorney

Meaning in law, with examples

nounCommon term

In law, power of attorney means: A legal document that gives one person the authority to act for another in legal or financial matters, such as signing contracts or managing a bank account.

In Turkish: vekaletname, vekalet

How it is used

People 'grant', 'give', 'sign' or 'revoke' a power of attorney. The person who receives it is the 'attorney', who in this sense need not be a lawyer. There are general and specific powers of attorney; in England a 'lasting power of attorney' covers a future loss of mental capacity.

Example sentences

  1. Before moving abroad, she gave her brother power of attorney to sell the flat.

  2. We need a copy of the power of attorney before we can file the case for the client.

Common collocations

  • grant power of attorney
  • general power of attorney
  • lasting power of attorney
  • revoke a power of attorney
  • attorneyA lawyer, especially in the United States, who is licensed to advise clients and represent them in court; more generally, a person allowed to act for someone else.
  • clientA person or organisation that receives advice or services from a lawyer or law firm and pays for them.
  • legal personAn entity, such as a company or an association, that the law treats as having its own rights and duties, separate from the people who own or run it.
  • lawyerA person trained and qualified in law who advises clients and represents them in legal matters; the general word that covers attorneys, solicitors and barristers.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Rights & Obligations

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.