Power of attorney

A power of attorney (POA) or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs, business, or some other legal matter, sometimes against the wishes of the other. The person authorizing the other to act is the principal, grantor, or donor (of the power). The one authorized to act is the agent or, in some common law jurisdictions, the attorney-in-fact (attorney for short). Formerly, a power referred to an instrument under seal while a letter was an instrument under hand, but today both are signed by the grantor, and therefore there is no difference between the two.

Attorney-in-fact

The term attorney-in-fact is used in several countries in place of the term agent and should be distinguished from the term attorney-at-law.

In the United States, an attorney-at-law is a lawyer — someone licensed to practice law in a particular jurisdiction.

The Uniform Power of Attorney Act employs the term agent. As an agent, an attorney-in-fact is a fiduciary for the principal, so the law requires an attorney-in-fact to be completely honest with and loyal to the principal in their dealings with each other. If the attorney-in-fact is being paid to act for the principal, the contract is usually separate from the power of attorney itself, so if that contract is in writing, it is a separate document, kept private between them, whereas the power of attorney is intended to be shown to various other people.

Power of Attorney (TV series)

Power of Attorney is an American-syndicated nontraditional court show that differed from other judge shows in that each side was represented by prominent attorneys who cross-examined witnesses.

The chairman of the American Bar Association and O. J. Simpson defense attorney Johnnie Cochran were guest attorneys on the show. Also, O. J. Simpson prosecutors Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden were also guest attorneys.

Gloria Allred, who has handled several high-profile cases, was also on hand. Geoffrey Fieger, who defended Jack Kevorkian; Dominic Barbara, who represented Joey Buttafuoco; Jeffrey W. Steinberger, Legal Analyst/TV Commentator, Benedict Morelli, a New York trial attorney, and Keith Fink were also among guest attorneys on the show.

The show's judge was Andrew Napolitano during the first season, 2000–2001, and in the second season, Lynn Toler (currently of Divorce Court) was the presiding judge. The show was cancelled mid-way through the second season due to low ratings, the effects of preemptions at the start of the second season due to the September 11 attacks breaking the momentum of Toler's debut, and high cost of the 10 or so rotating high-profile attorneys.