Most of us will need the help of a lawyer at some point in our lives. Many seek legal help at the end of a marriage or relationship. It is no secret that there are financial consequences to separation and divorce like support, property division, etc. And when children are involved, the stakes are even higher. That’s why people hire a family law lawyer - to guide them through the process and represent them in negotiation, mediation and/or court. But’s it’s the legal fees that often prevent those with family law issues from getting legal help.
The good news is that you don’t have to hire a lawyer to do everything for you – or what we, in the legal world, call a full or traditional retainer. You can get legal help in other less expensive ways.
You can hire a lawyer on a limited scope basis – which means you hire the lawyer to do a specific piece of work for you or to come to a mediation or one court appearance with you. For example, you might hire a lawyer to:
do so some legal research; -prepare court documents;
prepare financial documents; -run support calculations for you;
help you figure out the equalization payment; or
to be your representative at a motion (in court) or at a mediation.
You can also hire a lawyer to provide you with legal coaching – which means you do all the work with the lawyer helping to fill in the gaps in your knowledge. For example, you might hire a lawyer to explain to you what the law provides, what information to include in your court documents, how to prepare for a mediation, how to bring a motion in court, or how best to represent yourself at a trial.
You can represent yourself (in or out or court) and still get the assistance you need. In both the limited scope and legal coaching models, you decide when and how to get the help of a lawyer. You control your legal costs and you get the flexibility and support you need.
Join me over the next – you guessed it – 26 weeks, as I fill you in on the A to Zs of limited scope and legal coaching.
Let’s get to it – A is for …