What is "power of attorney"

Power \Pow"er\, n. [OE. pouer, poer, OF. poeir, pooir, F. pouvoir, n. & v., fr. LL. potere, for L. posse, potesse, to be able, to have power. See Possible, Potent, and cf. Posse comitatus.]

1. Ability to act, regarded as latent or inherent; the faculty of doing or performing something; capacity for action or performance; capability of producing an effect, whether physical or moral: potency; might; as, a man of great power; the power of capillary attraction; money gives power. ``One next himself in power, and next in crime.''
   --Milton.

2. Ability, regarded as put forth or exerted; strength, force, or energy in action; as, the power of steam in moving an engine; the power of truth, or of argument, in producing conviction; the power of enthusiasm. ``The power of fancy.''
   --Shak.

3. Capacity of undergoing or suffering; fitness to be acted upon; susceptibility; -- called also passive power; as, great power of endurance.

   Power, then, is active and passive; faculty is active power or capacity; capacity is passive power.
   --Sir W. Hamilton.

4. The exercise of a faculty; the employment of strength; the exercise of any kind of control; influence; dominion; sway; command; government.

   Power is no blessing in itself but when it is employed to protect the innocent.
   --Swift.

5. The agent exercising an ability to act; an individual invested with authority; an institution, or government, which exercises control; as, the great powers of Europe; hence, often, a superhuman agent; a spirit; a divinity. ``The powers of darkness.''
   --Milton.

   And the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
   --Matt. xxiv. 29.

6. A military or naval force; an army or navy; a great host.
   --Spenser.

   Never such a power . . . Was levied in the body of a land.
   --Shak.

7. A large quantity; a great number; as, a power o? good things. [Colloq.]
   --Richardson.

8. (Mech.)

   1. The rate at which mechanical energy is exerted or mechanical work performed, as by an engine or other machine, or an animal, working continuously; as, an engine of twenty horse power.

      Note: The English unit of power used most commonly is the horse power. See Horse power.

   2. A mechanical agent; that from which useful mechanical energy is derived; as, water power; steam power; hand power, etc.

   3. Applied force; force producing motion or pressure; as, the power applied at one and of a lever to lift a weight at the other end.

      Note: This use in mechanics, of power as a synonym for force, is improper and is becoming obsolete.

   4. A machine acted upon by an animal, and serving as a motor to drive other machinery; as, a dog power.

      Note: Power is used adjectively, denoting, driven, or adapted to be driven, by machinery, and not actuated directly by the hand or foot; as, a power lathe; a power loom; a power press.

9. (Math.) The product arising from the multiplication of a number into itself; as, a square is the second power, and a cube is third power, of a number.

10. (Metaph.) Mental or moral ability to act; one of the faculties which are possessed by the mind or soul; as, the power of thinking, reasoning, judging, willing, fearing, hoping, etc.
    --I. Watts.

    The guiltiness of my mind, the sudden surprise of my powers, drove the grossness . . . into a received belief.
    --Shak.

11. (Optics) The degree to which a lens, mirror, or any optical instrument, magnifies; in the telescope, and usually in the microscope, the number of times it multiplies, or augments, the apparent diameter of an object; sometimes, in microscopes, the number of times it multiplies the apparent surface.

12. (Law) An authority enabling a person to dispose of an interest vested either in himself or in another person; ownership by appointment.
    --Wharton.

13. Hence, vested authority to act in a given case; as, the business was referred to a committee with power.

    Note: Power may be predicated of inanimate agents, like the winds and waves, electricity and magnetism, gravitation, etc., or of animal and intelligent beings; and when predicated of these beings, it may indicate physical, mental, or moral ability or capacity.

    Mechanical powers. See under Mechanical.

    Power loom, or Power press. See Def. 8 (d), note.

    Power of attorney. See under Attorney.

    Power of a point (relative to a given curve) (Geom.), the result of substituting the co["o]rdinates of any point in that expression which being put equal to zero forms the equation of the curve; as, x^ 2 + y^ 2 - 100 is the power of the point x, y, relative to the circle x^ 2 + y^ 2 - 100 = 0.

n. 1 (context uncountable legal English) The legal authorisation of one person to act as the agent of another. 2 (context countable legal English) A legal document allowing one person to act as the agent of another.

n. a legal instrument authorizing someone to act as the grantor's agent

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.

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.

Category:2000s American television series Category:2001 American television series debuts Category:2002 American television series endings Category:Court shows Category:First-run syndicated television programs in the United States