An important part of lifetime planning is the Power of Attorney.Written by Jeffrey Broobin
An important part of lifetime planning is Power of Attorney. Valid in all states, these documents give one or more persons power to act on your behalf. The power may be limited to a particular activity (e.g., closing sale of your home) or general in its application, empowering one or more persons to act on your behalf in a variety of situations. It may take effective immediately or only upon occurrence of a future event (e.g., a determination that you are unable to act for yourself). The latter are "springing" Powers of Attorney. It may give temporary or continuous, permanent authority to act on your behalf. A power of attorney may be revoked, but most states require written notice of revocation to person named to act for you. The person named in a Power of Attorney to act on your behalf is commonly referred to as your "agent" or "attorney-in-fact." With a valid Power of Attorney, your agent can take any action permitted in document. Often your agent must present actual document to invoke power. For example, if another person is acting on your behalf to sell an automobile, motor vehicles department generally will require that Power of Attorney be presented before your agent's authority to sign title will be honored. Similarly, an agent who signs documents to buy or sell real property on your behalf must present Power of Attorney to title company. The same applies to sale of securities or opening and closing bank accounts. However, your agent generally should not need to present Power of Attorney when signing checks for you. Why would anyone give such sweeping authority to another person? One answer is convenience. If you are buying or selling assets and do not wish to appear in person to close transaction, you may take advantage of a Power of Attorney. Another important reason to use Powers of Attorney is to prepare for situations when you may not be able to act on your own behalf due to absence or incapacity. Such a disability may be temporary (e.g., due to travel, accident, or illness) or it may be permanent.
| | Will further release of studies on Paxil force GlaxoSmithKline to settle?Written by Online Lawyer Source
A study that appeared in July 21, 2004 Journal of American Medical Association appeared to support previous data possibly linking antidepressants to suicidal impulses. After looking at four drugs and nearly 2,800 British adults and children, there was evidence that suicidal thoughts or attempts were four times more likely during first ten days of treatment than they were after three months.The FDA is investigating antidepressants and issued a public health advisory asking ten drugmakers to strengthen suicide warnings on labels earlier this year, including popular drugs Paxil and Prozac. On Aug. 26 GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Europe's largest drug maker, said it settled a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who accused drug maker last June of withholding safety data that had examined safety of prescribing anti-depressant medication Paxil to children. When Paxil was compared to Dothiepen users, studies found Paxil users to have 29 percent more suicidal tendencies.
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