The word “law” is often equated with court scenario, tons of paper work, arguing lawyers, a lawsuit that drags for a very long period of time, and of course, hefty legal fees – which all boils down to a nightmarish experience filled with stress and anxiety.
There is more to law than court litigation. In fact most people don’t realize that the receipt that we get from the supermarket when we do our weekly grocery shopping, is technically speaking a legal document.
In a civilized society where everyone is governed by the rule of law, it is understandable why legal forms, notarization and/or registration are a necessity. The strict enforcement of certain legal requirements cannot be ignored. An orderly system marks a civilized society, and in a civilized society legal rights are of primordial importance.
Giving legal advice is a privilege granted to members of the Bar; hence paralegals, notary publics and document preparers cannot give you advice pertaining to your particular situation.
Whenever you get information about anything that has legal implications, you will almost always notice the written caveat “consult a lawyer” which is some sort of an unsolicited advice given to the reader to ensure that his rights are protected; and this holds true even in the case of a non-litigious action such as the preparation of a contract. It’s like going to a doctor; you don’t have to see a doctor for every bit of ailment when you know that in all likelihood it can be cured by over the counter medicine.
In sum, contrary to the belief that a legal action is always expensive, there are situations where you can save on lawyer’s fees by not hiring a lawyer if:
1. You do not need legal advice,
2. There are no contestable issues for the court to resolve (example: uncontested divorce). Actually, even if a person has contentious issues with the other party, it is still his prerogative whether to hire a lawyer or not.
3. The legal document need not be filed in court, such as a contract or authorization but are required to be filed before a government agency/office or person in authority.
Instead of going to a lawyer, you can hire the services of a trusted document preparer and/or legal researcher or if you are confident enough, you can buy do-it-yourself forms and do the work yourself. (Note: A person accused of a crime needs a lawyer to protect his rights.)
Legal researchers tend to be the CSI (behind the scene nerds) people of the legal industry and who provide clarity by untangling all of the legalese of the documents and are best equipped to simplify legal language to the least common denominator. It has become possible in the internet age for the average consumer to engage such a professional. Similar to the medical field which has evolved to include specialists who are not practicing physicians but who bring cutting edge medicine to the field, the legal fields is emerging with people who are (1) university educated, and hold post graduate law degrees and (2) who specialize in legal technical writing and those who work under the supervision of such in a highly controlled environment. The strength of such professionals is that they are from day to day exposed to multiple jurisdictions often providing a more thorough understanding and perspective in a narrow area of the law.
A legal researcher does not attend Hearings, nor represent a litigant in a court of law. Freelance researcher/writers often work in partnership with Attorneys who provide legal representation which can be complimentary, the best of both worlds. Typically the legal researcher is working for $60 to $90 an hour while the attorney charges $250 to $350 even while he or she is sitting on the bench for as much as five hours per day waiting to be heard in court.
Attorneys tend to be very effective verbally, and rightly so because in this age where litigants can represent themselves pro se, individuals who hire attorneys expect him to argue their cause verbally in court, especially in cases involving contentious matters. By contrast to most attorneys, a typical legal writer spends much more time reading and writing instead. They generally keep their research and writing skills sharp. Attorneys prepare for each and every case they handle but since they are often tied in court, they hire legal researchers and document preparers to take care of the written pleadings required by the court. This arrangements gives the attorney more time to focus on what he does best – argue verbally in court.
Not all legal researchers or writers are employed or sub-contracted by an attorney or law firm. Some of us have decided to strike out on our own and carve our own niche.
This blog is not legal advice, but shares information on the law. We are living in hard times; people lose their jobs and many are struggling to make ends meet. Legalbargain.net gives back to society by sharing it’s knowledge and producing advocacy videos to put justice within the reach of those who believe justice is only for those with money.
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