A key related question is whether an attorney can act on behalf of a donor for any principal or appointor role held by a donor under a family trust.
Generally, a well crafted trust deed will expressly address the issue and include a clause along the following lines -
'If the principal suffers the loss of lawful capacity through age, accident, or illness (evidence of which is by certificate of a registered medical practitioner), then the principal is the financial attorney of the principal under a valid enduring power of attorney.'
Where the trust instrument does not address the question, the preferred position appears to be that the principal powers can be exercised by an attorney.
The leading case in this regard is generally seen to be Belfield v Belfield [2012] NSWCA 416 where it was held that an attorney could have exercised the principal’s power under the Deed while the principal was incapacitated. In other words, even in the absence of any express provisions in the trust deed addressing the incapacity of a principal, the principal's powers can be exercised by a validly appointed attorney on their behalf.
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** for the trainspotters, ‘Generals and Majors’ is a song from 1980 by the band XTC, listen hear (sic) –