A solicitor and managing partner has unveiled a new platform for lay attorneys that aims to transform the way people manage their loved ones’ affairs.
Ben Darby, who heads the wills and probate team at Devon firm Darby & Darby, provides a one-stop shop for attorneys to manage finances, store key documents and seek advice on issues they are unsure about.
Darby said he wanted to plug the gap in the market left after clients have taken on the role of a lasting power of attorney. The day-to-day handling of an LPA is not transactional so usually not covered by law firms, so Darby created Ordli as a digital solution for a fixed monthly fee.
‘Ordli is not a solution to help people get a power of attorney as that market is well served,’ he said. ‘It is there to support families when they are actively managing the affairs of a loved one.
‘Our platform enables lay consumers (deliberately drawing the distinction with professional attorneys such as lawyers) to have the tools to manage the affairs in a legal and transparent way.’
The issue of lasting powers of attorney were thrown into the spotlight this week with a BBC investigation alleging legal and financial malpractice against an Essex firm. It was reported that people had no access to their bank accounts and no idea how much they were being charged for their attorney. The firm denied any wrongdoing and said the report was highly misleading and inaccurate.
Darby said the situation for lay attorneys is particularly difficult, given that many might have little experience of financial management and may not know what they are entitled to do as LPAs. The Ordli platform, regulated by the FCA, includes advice on issues such as whether someone’s house can be sold or whether money can be extracted to pay for Christmas gifts for grandchildren. It also stores information on upcoming medical appointments and prescriptions.
The innovation aims to reduce family disputes: while attorneys have sole and encrypted access to bank accounts, other relatives – perhaps those who live further away – can be added as interested parties and are able to monitor transactions or see when appointments are in the diary.
It may also be possible to help the supervision process of the Office of the Public Guardian if all affairs are stored in one easily-accessible place.
Access is currently priced at £10 per month.
Darby started through a collaboration with the University of Exeter and secured £300,000 in government grants to help build the Ordli platform. It has since been validated by lawyers, financial advisers and charities and has welcomed on board its first organic users. There are estimated to be seven million lasting powers of attorney in England and Wales and more than one million were registered in 2023 – an increase of 37% on the previous year and the highest annual total on record.
