Q:  I’ve watched two friends lose capacity and end up in a real pickle because they had not made any provision for something happening that left them unable to look after themselves or their affairs. To avoid being in a similar situation myself, six years ago I set up a Lasting Power of Attorney with my daughter named as Attorney. However, my daughter now lives with a controlling man whose eyes grow large whenever he sees my very substantial house and I am worried he might persuade my daughter to act in his best interests rather than mine. Can I change the LPA if it has been registered?

Q: My boyfriend is in prison and he really is not having a nice time there.  I saw him last week and broke down in tears afterwards because he was so upset. The other prisoners are all saying he has committed a crime that he has not done, but it is all because the wrong information was put out on the prisoners’ internal email system. 

In our opinion pursuing litigation should always a matter of teamwork.  A good solicitor will always keep you informed about the timetable and when they need some input from you. If your relationship with your solicitor has broken down, now might be the time to switch your instructions to a different firm before anything disastrous happens. You can find a list of local solicitors on The Law Society website who have accreditations in various areas of law. Choosing a local firm with the right accreditation should give you peace of mind.

Q: My father is elderly and bedbound.  He is reliant upon friends to take care of shopping, washing, and so on. I work away during the week but usually go at the weekends to help him sort out his post, pay his bills etc. I have been away for over two months though, visiting my daughter in Australia. During my absence other people were looking after things. Now it turns out that he is being sued for an unpaid bill for electricity.  I didn’t know anything about the Court case and it seems that judgment has now been entered against him.  What can I do to help?

Q: My son is serving a prison sentence in jail in Liverpool. He has been a model prisoner since being convicted and was looking forward to early release. Tragically, a few weeks ago, one of the people he was sharing a cell with hung himself.  Even worse, my son had to help the prison officers take down his body.

Q: I have two young children and I recently had a health scare which has made me think of the future. My husband and I are still quite young and I want to make sure my children would be protected if I was to pass away and he was to remarry or cohabit. I have heard of children being left with no inheritance when a parent dies and the other remarries and wouldn’t want this to happen to my children. Can I stop this from happening?

Q:  I think I need to make a will but I don’t know where to start. I have an 18 year old son from a previous relationship who no longer lives with me. I own my house and live in it with my current partner and our 15 year old daughter. The house is in my name but my partner and I both pay for the maintenance and upkeep of the house and share the cost of the bills. If I die will the house transfer to my partner? How can I make sure that my son and daughter are both treated equally?  Would things be different if my partner and I get married? 

Q. My husband wants me to engage in sexual acts which I find unacceptable. He is particularly insistent about us having sex outdoors. I am a Governor at my children’s school and a well known member of my local community and I am therefore extremely worried about being discovered. He, on the other hand, seems to find the risk exciting. I can no longer cope with his constant demands. Do I have grounds for a divorce?

Q: My partner says he doesn’t ever want to get married but he has asked me whether I will move in with him. He owns the house where he lives and he says he will carry on paying the mortgage and bills and I can buy the food. He says if we are still together in two years, and I start contributing to the mortgage then, I could have a share of the house. Would this give me any legal rights though? I trust him at the moment and I believe he means well, but I have concerns that if things between us should change in the future I won’t have any kind of protection and I may end up having to start over in a different situation with nothing.

Q: Since the Prince Philip crash scandal, I have found myself wondering; what are the laws regarding ‘older drivers’? My father is 84 and is getting a bit doddery, but he is still driving. Can you ever be too old to drive?.