What do you have if you've got a dozen lawyers buried up to their necks in sand? Not enough sand.

Power of attorney is a phrase that specifically means that one person has been legally granted the power and responsibility to make legal decisions on the behalf of someone else. For example, an aging parent who is ill may grant power of attorney to his or her son or daughter in anticipation of later loss of mental functioning. Once that is done, if the ill person requires surgery it is the power-of-attorney who must sign the consent forms, even if the patient still is mentally competent. I suppose it also pertains to other legal actions like selling property.