[WSBAPT] POA services paid?

[Krista MacLaren]

Hi Folks,

I am curious whether anyone out there encourages clients to make provisions to pay their agent in the event many hours of service are required, and/or if anyone has ever made an effort to get an agent paid from an estate when it seemed appropriate.  I have not, but I am thinking about it now because I received a letter from the neighbor of a decedent who is saying she observed the POA provide hours of daily care for nine years with no remuneration whatsoever, and she wants to draw attention to it because she feels the woman was selfless and provided a great service and should receive something.  I have seen this before, and I always have thought that the agent probably needed to discuss payment with the principal when the principal was competent to enter into an agreement about it.  But there may be cases where beneficiaries would not object to payment being made.  There is a conflict of interest issue though, and I am wondering, should the attorney for the PR never bring this up, and only respond if the agent hires a lawyer to demand payment?  It just seems like that would create a conflict that may not be there if the PR wanted to take the initiative.  Of course, in this case, and perhaps often, the PR is the same person as the agent, and she herself is not asking for anything.  I know she can be paid for her time as PR.  She also receives a percentage of the estate, which could in fact be because of her years of service (and friendship) to the decedent who was single and had no children.  Just thinking about how I might help avoid this situation in the future, and whether to do anything proactive in estates with this issue.

Thanks for any thoughts or experiences you may have.

Krista J. MacLaren
Attorney at Law
Northgate Executive Center II
9725 3rd Ave NE, Suite 600
Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 523-6116
kjm.inc at me.com