Santa Cruz LDA, Legal Document Assistant

<body> <b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: black"> <font size="5">Legal Document Assistants: An Efficient and Affordable Option </font></span></b> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Each year 38 million Americans are closed out of the legal justice system, mostly because of high legal fees. But hiring an attorney isn’t always necessary. If you are dealing with a routine, uncontested legal matter, a legal document assistant can help you correctly fill out and submit important legal forms for just a fraction of the cost. According to <i>USA TODAY</i>, Americans could save $3.3 billion a year by using independent paralegals instead of lawyers to handle routine legal matters. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Here is a brief overview of what legal document assistants can do. </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> What is a legal document?</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black"> A legal document is any official document that provides legal information, states a contractual relationship or grants some right. Most legal matters require that official forms—which are often complex—are filled out and filed with the courts. Incorrectly filled out legal forms will delay your case, often for long periods of time.<b> </b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Who are legal document assistants? </span></b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black">Legal document assistants are professionals, qualified through education, training or work experience, who provide the public with a simple and affordable option in handling their legal affairs. They are not lawyers and do not offer legal advice. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> What does a legal document assistant do? </span></b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";color:black">Legal document assistants help consumers represent themselves (<i>pro se</i> litigation) in undisputed legal matters by preparing the necessary legal documents to court standards. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> What is the benefit of using a legal document assistant?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> By helping you effectively represent yourself, a legal document assistant allows you to bypass the often unnecessary expense and hassle of hiring of an attorney, which can cost 50-80% more than a legal document assistant. A legal document provider also offers a non-adversarial environment in which to settle undisputed legal matters.<b> </b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> What is the difference between legal Information and legal advice? </span> </b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Legal document preparation is the distribution <b>of legal information</b> to the public. This legal information is general in nature. It is not tailored to the unique facts of a customer’s situation and does not recommend a strategic course of action. For example, legal information may include informing a customer about the available options in response to a legal problem or which forms to fill out, but would not suggest what option to take or what to put on the forms. In contrast, <b>legal advice</b> is specific to the unique circumstances of the client and goes beyond mere general advice appropriate for all persons who confront the same issue. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Should I see an attorney or a legal document assistant? </span></b> <span style="font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">If you do not know your legal rights in a situation, you should see an attorney; but not all legal matters require an attorney. If you have already decided on a course of action and the matter is undisputed, a legal document assistant is an efficient and affordable alternative to hiring a lawyer. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> How can a legal document assistant help me? </span></b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">Most legal document professionals deal in a wide variety of subjects, including: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Bankruptcy </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Guardianship </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Living Trust </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Joint Trust </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Will/ Living Will </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Divorce </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Immigration </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Incorporation </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Deeds </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> LLC </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Trademark </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Name Change </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Step Parent Adoption </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Power of Attorney </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Prenuptial Agreement </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Partnership Agreement </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Did You Know? </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">◊ Each year 38 million low and moderate income Americans get closed out of the legal justice system.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">◊ Americans could save $3.3 billion a year by using independent paralegals instead of lawyers to handle routine matters in common legal areas.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">◊ A 2002 American Bar Association survey found that only half of respondents that faced a legal situation in the past year hired a lawyer. The most frequent reasons given for not hiring a lawyer involved high legal fees.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">◊ The main force driving <i> pro se</i> litigation is money. For example, attorney fees can range from about $1,500 for a simple divorce to tens of thousands of dollars for more complex cases. In contrast, the cost of a do-it-yourself divorce typically ranges from $250 to $500.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">◊ Only one in three Americans say they have a living will, one of the most important documents a person can have because it clearly states a patient’s end-of-life wishes. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">◊ Only 11% of people between the ages of 18 and 34 have drawn up a last will in testament.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">◊ Courts in Arizona, California, Maryland, Washington, Utah and other states have developed a range of Web-based legal forms and instructions to help <i>pro se</i><b> </b>litigants fill out forms for divorces, child custody orders and restraining orders.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">◊ A recent survey found that the vast majority of California consumers (96%) were satisfied with the quality of their legal document assistant’s service and would use an LDP again.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><sup> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> ______________________________________________________________<br> </span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black">1</span></sup><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black"> American Bar Association, <i>Agenda for Access: The American People and Civil Justice – Final Report on the Implications of Comprehensive Legal Needs Study </i>(1996). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><sup> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> 2</span></sup><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> <i>USA Today</i>, “Public Loses as Lawyers Block Access to Cheap Legal Help” (Feb. 19, 1999). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><sup> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> 3</span></sup><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> <i>National Law Journal</i>, “Polishing the Image” (September 16, 2002). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><sup> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> 4</span></sup><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Do-it-yourself divorcers get online aid </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> Lawyers USA, May 8, 2006, NEWS, 1270 words, Nora Lockwood Tooher </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><sup> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> 5</span></sup><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> www.findlaw.com</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue"> </span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> , (2001). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><sup> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> 6</span></sup><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> <i>Lawyers USA,</i> “Do-it-yourself divorcers get online aid” (May 8, 2006). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><sup> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> 7</span></sup><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"> HALT, <i>Helping Unrepresented Litigants with Legal Documents: Consumer Satisfaction with Legal Document Assistants in California’s Bay Area, </i> (August 2005). </span></p> <p> </p> </body>