How To Find A Divorce Mediator – Santa Clarita Divorce Mediation

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

How To Find A Divorce Mediator – Santa Clarita Divorce Mediation

If you are looking for a divorce mediator for your divorce in Santa Clarita, there are a few ways you can locate one.   In this video we discuss the different websites and ways to locate a divorce mediator for your divorce in Santa Clarita.

Lisa: You can.

Tim: Alright.

Lisa: I have a websites lsrmediation.com. I am on a lot of different mediation organizational sites, mediate.com and Southern California Mediation Association and there’s couple of other ones.

And when you look for a mediator those are great resources because a lot of times they are private mediation firms that don’t have that attorney background.

And there’s more and more of us coming because we love, we’re passionate about the process. We want to bring peace especially in the Divorce situation.

We want to bring peace to these families and really save a lot of heartache. And so we’re trying to focus and educate the public.

Tim: Right.

Lisa: About these options that we’re out there.

Tim: That’s why we’re doing this today.

Lisa: Yes.

Tim: Yes, to let people know that mediation exists.

How To Choose A Divorce Mediator – Santa Clarita Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

How To Choose A Divorce Mediator – Santa Clarita Divorce

There are several factors you will want to consider when choosing a divorce mediator in Santa Clarita.  The first thing you will want to consider when choosing a divorce mediator in Santa Clarita, is if you want to use an attorney-mediator or a non-attorney mediator.  There are different styles of mediation depending on which type of divorce mediator you use.

Watch this video for more information about how to choose a divorce mediator in Santa Clarita.

Tim: Now you brought up education. I want to touch on that because I looked in to offering mediation services because as Legal Document Preparation Service we have limitations.

Lisa: Right.

Tim: So we don’t give legal advice. We don’t go to court for people and represent them in court, not in that fashion.

We’re just here to fill out the paperwork properly, correctly and give that professional service. And sometimes even though people have come to us and they think they have all their agreements, something happens.

Lisa: Right.

Tim: And they have trouble coming to agreements usually about money or something like that. And we didn’t offer mediation services, so, I actually looked into becoming a mediator as in additional service.

And what I found was there’s no real governing board. There’s not any real way of getting certified.

Lisa: Right.

Tim: I mean I can call myself a mediator today with zero training.

Lisa: And a lot of people do that.

Tim: Yes.

Lisa: There are lots of trainings available. They’re very cursory. They just kind of scratch the surface.

And it’s more of ‘Okay, you kind of have an idea of what it’s like. Good luck!’ They kind of throw you out there.

My educational background was much more intense. It involved cultural differences, differences within, different family backgrounds I mean it came from every angle that you can think of.

And then my work in the court system helps me not only say, ‘Hey, this is a great option for your family to do this without having to deal with attorneys, without having to go through the court system.’ because this is what I know about what happens to families in the court systems because I’ve been there.

And I can continue to work there. But my goal is to steal people away from that.

Tim: Right.

Lisa: Because it’s just not a happy ending 99% of the time.

Tim: Sure. And so education is important if someone is looking for a mediator. You have to really be careful and find out what their background is. And make sure it’s going to be a suitable—

Lisa: Well, like you said anybody can say, ‘Hey, I took a two week course of Mediation. And now I’m a mediator.’

And that’s not, and the attorney mediators, a lot of times that’s what they do. And say ‘Now I offer mediation services.’

They’re still coming from a litigation background.

Tim: Right.

Lisa: Where it’s a win loose–

Tim: About the law.

Lisa: We got the laws. The only thing that matters you need, we need, they’ll even take one of the parties side and say, ‘You really shouldn’t be agreeing to this.’

Tim: Really?

Lisa: It’s not on your interest. And they forget that their job is to help the people come together and communicate and not pissed. It’s just this automatic thing.

Tim: It’s just that’s how their brain works.

Lisa: It’s how their brain works. That’s how they were trained in law school.

Tim: Right.

Lisa: And that’s what happened. So—

Tim: Okay.

How The Law Applies To Divorce Mediation – Santa Clarita Divorce Mediation

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

How The Law Applies To Divorce Mediation – Santa Clarita Divorce Mediation

When folks are considering using divorce mediation when going through their divorce in Santa Clarita, one of the questions is, ” How does the law apply to the divorce mediation process?”  When you go through divorce mediation, the mediation process is more about what is fair, than relying on what the law says about divorce issues.  But it is good to know what the law is when going though mediation in Santa Clarita, because you need to have an idea of what the law says, so you can make informed decisions during the mediation process.

Watch this video for more information on this topic.

Tim: So how does the law work in relationship to mediation because –

Lisa: Because it is important that they know their options and that they don’t feel like they signed an agreement and came to an agreement ignorantly and didn’t know.

Tim: Right! Or goes down the road and say, ‘Wait a minute–’

Lisa: ‘I should have known.’ Right!

Tim: Yes.

Lisa:  Right, so that’s definitely not something I want.

Tim: So kind of the ideal scene.

California Divorce Mediation Explained

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

California Divorce Mediation Explained

Tim: So mediation, if you could put it into a sentence or two, how would you explain what mediation is.  I’m sure you get the question all the time.

People asking me what mediation is or some people think that we are mediators.

Lisa: Okay.

Tim: So what is mediation in regards to Family Law?

Lisa: Mediation has existed and it’s so interesting to me because it has existed for thousands of years in many different cultures. It is a new concept to us as Americans in the West because we are so individualized.

And we like to win and we like to get a cup and is very competitive. So the old kind of communal mediation process is lost on us and it’s starting to come back.

And we’re starting to kind of get to feel of the benefits of mediation. So the process is peaceful. You’re allowed to be heard.

You’re allowed to get out what it is that’s frustrating you. But we’re hopefully are mediators teachers and we help translate between the parties.

We help them understand. We help them try getting to each other shoes and find out ‘well if I was my ex and why does he felt this way, why does he wants this so badly and why does she feel so’—it’s kind of digging deep.

No, we’re not therapist! A lot of times people are like ‘Well that sounds like family therapy.’ We don’t get into your childhood.

We don’t get into why you’re doing the things you’re doing. We’re just focusing on this process, these major changes you’re making in your family.

And we make it non-adversarial, peaceful, and supportive. And we really want the parties to hear and be heard. That’s what’s the most important.

Tim: Okay, well Lisa it’s a good explanation. It seems Lisa mentioned that we kind of get away from mediation. It’s been there for thousands of years—the courts and maybe because the courts are so impacted.

I tell my clients, ‘The courts don’t want you in the system. They don’t want you going in to the court.’

Lisa: No!

Tim: ‘They don’t want you in the court room. They want you if it’s all possible to come to the agreements.’

Lisa: Yes!

Tim: And I think in just a 100% of cases that you’re going to make people involved are going to make better decisions about their Divorce, in the terms of their Divorce.

Lisa: Right!

Tim: Than going to court and having some judge who just knows you for about 15 minutes.

Lisa: Exactly!

Tim: Making decisions that will then become orders.

Lisa: And impacted the rest of your life. I mean these are it is completely out of your hands at that point.  You get to the point where the judges saying, ‘Okay, here is what’s going to happen.’

You have lost all control of what happens with you, your money, your house, your kids. It is in somebody’s hands like you said somebody that’s known you for 15 seconds.

Tim: Yes, read a little bit.

Lisa: Maybe reviewed your case really quickly. And then decides the rest of your life together.

Tim: That’s right!

Lisa: And you’re right they don’t want you there. They are inundated. They are stacked up.

And it’s like ‘cattle call’ they’re just trying to move people through. And it’s just very slow process.

Tim: Yes, in fact we have some clients that come in and say, ‘Well, I’m just going to let the court decide.’  And I have to tell them that it doesn’t work that way. In fact the courts not going to get involve.

Lisa: Right.

Tim: In your Divorce case unless you specifically ask them to get involve. So you can file for Divorce. You can go through the process but it doesn’t automatically get picked up for the court.

You don’t automatically get a court date. You have to specifically ask for a court date for a trial.  Otherwise they do not want to touch it.

Lisa: And it could be months in advance.

Tim: It is months. Right now if you want to get the trail set in which is a request that takes 60-90 days just to get the date.

Then your date 60-90 days out from that. And that’s just to set the court date. That’s not the court date.

And it’s like a long term trail where you think it’s going to be several days we’re talking out about a year for a date.

Lisa: You’re right and people don’t realize the process and what’s involved. And they don’t realize that you are getting billed by your attorney.

Tim: Oh yes.

Lisa: While you wait to go to court. You don’t start when you walk in the court doors. You are being billed for your phone calls.

You’re being billed for your emails. You’re being billed for your time. And in mediation coming from a non-attorney mediation setting my set up is completely different to where I want your questions.

I want you to be in control of this process. I want you to know what it is that we’re doing and that the process makes sense to you.

I’m not going to bill you point two for an email or point two for a phone call. I want you to call me.

And I want to make sure that you are on board. And that this is something that’s working for you.

So as far as the fee set up it’s also a completely different bargain than what the attorneys have set up.

Different Types Of Divorce Mediators – Santa Clarita Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Different Types Of Divorce Mediators – Santa Clarita Divorce

If you are going through a divorce in California and are considering divorce mediation, you should be aware that there are 3 types of divorce mediators.  You have attorney mediators, non-attorney mediators and the court mediators. In this video we will explain the difference between divorce mediators so you have a better understanding so you can choose a mediator for your divorce wisely.

Tim: There are different types of mediators. You have attorney mediator. We’ve kind of talked about that a bit.

Lisa: Right.

Tim: We have non-attorney mediators as your self. And we have court mediators.

Lisa: Right.

Tim: We have mediators at the court as a part of the process. Can you talk a bit on the differences between let’s say an attorney mediator. We’re talking about the litigation mindset.

Lisa: Right.

Tim: Non-attorney mediators and I’d also like to know, at the end of the day when you’re done with mediation, what do I walk away with and how is that beneficial?

Lisa: Okay.

Tim: Let’s say call me, ‘So we’ve had mediator and Tim we have all the conditions, the terms were ironed out.” What would they have at the end of that? They have some type of a written agreement? That sort of thing.

Lisa: Okay, now the judge it’s a requirement especially in family law. You have to meet with the family law mediator. The LA Superior Court systems require that mediator in the court house to be an attorney.

Tim: Right.

Lisa: They don’t allow non-attorney mediators in that process.

Tim: So what you’re saying is if you’re going to go to a court for a trial of hearing of any med type, you have to go to the court mediator first before they will talk to the judge.

They’re hoping you will in that court mediation they will come to an agreement before they’re seeing the judge. So that’s what you’re referring to?

Lisa: Which is almost in my mind and I’ve seen the other side in different organizations I’ve worked with, I’ve taken clients as I’ve advocated for them or represented them as in different organizations I’ve taken them to mediation.

And this is while I was going to school to get my graduate degree in Mediation and I just thought this is not what I thought it would be like.

This is what not I think the Peer Mediation process should be like. They give you about 15 minutes maybe. They are attorneys, so, they ask a very directive questions.

They will flat out say, ‘No, I don’t think that you should agree to that.’

Tim: Really? So they’re not really neutral?

Lisa: They’re not!

Tim: At that point.

Lisa: They have—

Tim: And this is the court?

Lisa: These are the court mandated, hired by the court. These are the ones that they require you to talk to before you come in to the judge.

Tim: Yes.

Lisa: And I hate to say this but they’re pretty much a bully! They’re a little bit bully into making this agreement quickly.

You don’t have a lot of time. The judge is waiting on you. Let’s just get this run through.

And it’s an intimidating process for people.

Tim: And the reason I want to bring this that these three court mediators, attorney mediators and non-attorney mediators because they are not there to sit for two or three hours in every sessions

Lisa: No.

Tim: Of your time on your schedules. You’re talking about a line of people a day or two prior to or even on the day of your hearing.

Lisa: The same day right.

Tim: Going in there and they have other hundred people to mediate and they’re pushing you through. So that’s not what I call professional paid mediation which is what you have.

Lisa: Right. It’s not the best. That’s right.

Tim: Which is on your time, so, I just want to get these differences out there. So why don’t you talk a little bit about attorney mediators?

People that are attorneys and then they also offer mediation services that litigation mindset?

Lisa: Well, like I said the mediation process is starting to kind of have a researching.  It’s a little bit of a rebirth because like I said it’s never really gone away.

It’s just our particular culture has kind of smashed it down because of our different way of looking at things. It’s coming back.

Attorneys are very aware that that’s something that maybe a little bit of a competition for them because they want to keep that adversarial.

They want to drag these cases out. They want to have all of these billed hours. That’s why they went to law school.

So they see mediation let’s say, ‘That is something maybe I can do as part of my law practice. I can add that for a little bit more income and then give people the peace of mind.’

Oh yes, I’ve heard about mediation. And I know you’ve read about it. I offer that as well.

But the people are not getting the Peer Mediation process. They’re getting an attorney particularly a couple of weeks training and is going to try their best to represent people when in their mind it’s like, ‘No, he should be doing that.’ ‘No, she should be doing that.’ ‘No, he should not be giving in to that.’

And they’re very directive.

Tim: So what kind of issues would come from that? Why is that not probably the best way of mediating?

Lisa: Well, ideally obviously you can’t be completely neutral. I’ve had cases where I’ve related more of some it’s not always to the wife, sometimes I relate more to the husband and think ‘What is her problem? She is being so unreasonable.’

And sometimes you can even say that to the person saying, ‘You know what it feels to me like you were kind putting obstacles in the way it is. And what is it that you’re really wanting right now?’

Tim: What’s the real thing?

Lisa: ‘What’s going on with you?’ And you can take them and separate them and not have the other person and say, ‘We’ve kind of come to a stand still. Let’s hear what’s going on with you. What is so important that about the set of spoons that we’re going to take two sessions on the set of spoons?’

You want to figure out what’s the underlined cause.

Tim: It’s not about the spoons. There’s something out there.

Lisa: It’s not about the spoons, it never is.

Tim: I needed a Master’s Degree in Psychology?

Lisa: In Psychology.

Tim: So you probably can pick up on these things?

Lisa: It’s a different background. And I think definitely the attorney’s are not going to want to take the time.

I had an attorney. I got tune up pretty well in the training and he said, ‘As soon as the wife starts crying and they start going at it, I get up and I walk down the hall and talk to somebody until I can hear it’s quieting down.’

He’s like, ‘I don’t want to deal with that.’

Tim: Isn’t that at the point where someone really needs in the room?

Lisa: Yes.

Tim: Like that should be the opposite?

Lisa: Yes. And that’s the mediator’s job. As a neutral party I’m here for both of you.

Yes, sometimes you’re being a pain and you’re kind of dragging the process down. Yes and sometimes it’s the other party. And you can sometimes call them out on that.

But we want to bring the level of contention down. That’s the only way because I think we’ve had conversations before you say people make the worst decisions when they’re emotionally charged.

They don’t make good decisions. So a lot of times a whole session will be letting them bend these emotions in a safe room where they feel like they can be heard.

The other person is respectful, doesn’t interrupt, attorneys just don’t know that process. And they don’t have the patience to go through that kind of thing.

Tim: So folks are having difficulty communicating. They hire an attorney mediator to mediate for them.

And they get to the point where they’re having trouble talking which is exactly why they hire them for.  They get up and walk away.

Lisa: Right.

Tim: So—

Lisa: You let me know when you’re done and we’ll get back to crunching the numbers.

Tim: Yes.

Lisa:  Because they just want the process to get done. And they just want to kind of assure people assure the public we know mediations of another process and we’ve read about it and we offer that as well.

But there’s no way that it can be the same kind of process, it’s just litigation.

Tim: The mindset.

Lisa: For both of them.

Tim: By the way when the attorney gets up to go and talk down the hall while you’re arguing you’re still getting billed.

Lisa: They’re billing you.

Tim: Yes.

Lisa: They’re billing you.  Point six, point five.

Tim: Okay, so finally on non-attorney mediations. So with your services we’ve talked about the court and how that doesn’t seem very ideal, attorney litigation mindset. And now with yours how is that work to in comparison?

Lisa: Okay. That’s –

Tim: Though we’ve talked about it a little bit.

Lisa: And this is such a great opportunity because it’s like you said people just aren’t aware that this is an option for them.

They feel like we can get our ties and go to work. Okay, we’ve heard about this mediation process. Okay, my attorney offers mediation and they feel like that’s the wrongly other option.

And it maybe is a better process than litigation but the mediator you’re working with is still looking ahead to thinking well probably end up in litigation anyway. And so that’s a kind of the end game.

When you’re coming from a completely different background and I’ve met other mediators from like family therapist are taking on mediation because they have seen the after Math of what happens to families.

And they’ve had to deal with that. And now they’re trying to prevent all of that chaos and disaster and destruction by offering mediation services which I think is a great background.

But a lot of times I feel like they need to partner up with an attorney to make themselves legitimate and then the process kind of gets tainted again by that attorney fee set up the litigation mindset and it kind of goes off track just a little bit.

But as far as finding a mediator that fits and it has to be a good fit. You have to feel comfortable with the person. You have to trust them.

You have to feel like okay this person is listening to me. This person I don’t feel like it’s going to take my husband side or my wife side in this. I think that’s a worry for people how are you going to be or how are you going to go take her side on this.

Are you going to feel like she’s right and I am wrong. And I mean that’s a worry nobody can be really in partial.

But as a mediator that’s our job. It’s to do that the best.

Having Trouble With Filing Your Own California Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Having Trouble With Filing Your Own California Divorce

If you are attempting to complete your own California Divorce and are having trouble, you are not alone.  We get calls every day from people who are at some point in the California divorce process who are having trouble with their divorce, whether it be the divorce paperwork or not fully understanding the court procedure.  Not to worry, we specialize in California divorce and can help you complete your case anywhere in California.

Watch the video below where we explain.

Below is the transcript of this video.

I wanted to talk to the folks of California who have already filed their Divorce case and are having trouble getting their Divorce finished.

My name is Tim Blankenship. We have a licensed and bonded Legal Document Preparation Firm.

We specialize in Divorce all throughout California. And we get lots of calls as new clients calling us who haven’t started their Divorce and they want us to start from the very beginning.

And handle their Divorce case from start to finish. But we also get a lot of calls where people have started their Divorce on their own.

And if you have done that then video is for you. What we find is a lot of people want to save money.

They want to cut cost. They want to do their Divorce complete their Divorce in the most affordable way possible.

So some folks will go and try and do their Divorce on their own.

I have to admit we do get a lot of calls people who call us and saying, “I just tried to start my Divorce. I’ve really messed it up. The courts are rejecting everything. And I’m fed up. And I need help.”

Of course, we say, “We wish you would have called us in the beginning because a lot of times there’s more work to fix what you broke than to just do it right from the beginning.”

But if you started your Divorce and you’re having trouble getting it done, give us a call. We can pick where you left off. And we can finish your case for you.

We get lots of calls where people maybe they file their summons and petition and that wasn’t too hard.  They served it. And then they don’t know what to do next.

We can grab, we can take your paperwork. We can review what’s done and make sure it’s correct because unfortunately we’ve even found the initial documents that were done by people who started the Divorce on their own was wrong.

And we have to re-file it. But we will review everything you’ve done. We will pick up where you left off.

We’ll complete your case, anywhere in California. We’ve worked with almost every court in California so far.

Just give us a call. All you have to do is fax us your documents.

If you’ve already filed, we’ll pick up where you left off. We can work with both you and your spouse to complete your case and wrap things up for you.

And hopefully you didn’t get too far and spend too much money. And hopefully you didn’t pay both the filing fees.

The sooner you call us the sooner we can save you even money on potentially the court fees as well.

The people have some confusion on the court fees structure. So give us a call.

The number is on your screen. Free consultation, we can talk to you. Let us know what’s going on, where you’re at and we’ll help wrap up your case for you.

Costs Of Divorce Attorney vs Divorce Mediation In California

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Costs Of Divorce Attorney vs Divorce Mediation In California

Tim Blankenship interviews Lisa Scholz about the costs of California divorce mediation combined with California divorce paralegal services and how the costs compare to that of using an attorney for your California divorce.  You can watch the video below and we also have the transcription of the video if you prefer to read it as well.

Begin Transcription –

Lisa: And a $100,000. That is an average Divorce.

Tim: I’ve looked at the same statistics and it’s shocking. And I think people don’t really think that, that is true.

Lisa: They think it’s not going to be that for me.

Tim: Right.

Lisa: Because we’re going to keep the cost down. And we’re going to figure this out. But they don’t realize how it adds up so quickly.

Tim: Very quickly! And that’s I think that two attorneys combined. So they have—

Lisa: Exactly!

Tim: If you have 30,000 they have 30,000 and I tell you having worked for attorney that is not uncommon. And often they worked that people would get their bills at the end of the month.

And we had more people call us after receiving their bill and say I want to settle. I want to settle.

Lisa: We’re done. We’re done.

Tim: I can’t believe we’re going to have nothing left at the end of this. And only unfortunately the attorneys win.

So they take that $60,000-100,000. Even if let’s say you have a simple case.

And you have all your agreements which would make you suitable for my services and you go to an attorney that can easily run you $15,000 just because of the hourly rates of the attorneys preparing the documents filing fees and so forth.

It can add up. So when you hear our fees combined and just roughly if you have minimal issues or just a few issues and maybe one session use our service for document preparation, Lisa’s services for mediation per session you’re talking like around $2,000 at the top of things as opposed to—

Lisa: Which is a quarter of a retainer that you would have to plant down at the beginning–

Tim: For attorney.

Lisa: Before anything else is done.

Tim: Yes. Before they start the case, yes! And that’s after your $350 or 450 paid consultations.

Lisa: Right. Right, it really is just such a start difference. And again we had the time issue.

We talked about the courts talking forever to even hear your case.  And there’s a lots of hoops you have to jump through before that even is on their calendar.

We can do mediation with your Divorce and it’s up to you. The court doesn’t tell you when you have to be there.

You decide on your schedule what works best for you.

It could a month if you kind of have to space it out and that would be the longest that would take for you to complete everything on your schedule, on your timeline, not somebody else is.

Tim: Yes.

Lisa Scholz Explains Divorce Mediation Background – Santa Clarita Divorce Mediation

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Lisa Scholz Explains Divorce Mediation Background – Santa Clarita Divorce Mediation

When getting a divorce in California, one option you may want to consider is using a divorce mediator for your divorce. Divorce mediators are helpful when you need assistance coming to an agreement on your divorce or help opening up the lines of communication between you and your spouse. In this interview, we talk to Lisa Scholz who shares here background with California divorce mediation.

Tim: Today we’re here with Lisa Scholz who is a mediator.

And I want to get these videos out to folks with there’s a big misunderstanding about what mediators do when it’s in regards to family law.

So we wanted to get some information out there so we can kind of pull the curtain back on what mediation is in regards to and how it works with Family Law and Divorces specifically.

So Lisa Scholz is a Mediator/Divorce Coach. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about that does? And what mediation is?

And just kind of introduce yourself and your company and what you can do folks.

Lisa Scholz: Okay, so I’m a private non-attorney mediator. I know a lot of people know attorneys that also do mediation. And this is kind of a completely different perspective.

I have a practice where I help people through with their Divorce process. They need to have their legal advice from somewhere else that doesn’t come from me.

But I work on the communication skills. I work on coming to an agreement that works best for their family.

And that’s the most important to me is that it fits what they need as a family especially if there’s kids involved.

Tim: So regarding kids and family just overall decision making mediation as opposed to litigation long term especially if kids are involved–

Lisa Scholz: Yes.

Tim: Is going to be beneficial because they’re getting a Divorce but they’re still going to see each other on custody exchanges.

Lisa Scholz: The relationship needs to stay intact.

Tim: Yes.

Lisa Scholz: I mean you may not like your partner, you may not get along well enough to live together anymore but when you have children involved that relationship needs to be where you have those communication skills.

And you were able to salvage whatever relationship you had left so that your children are not the collateral damage.

Tim: Right. So tell us a little bit more about you specifically and your background.

Lisa Scholz: Okay.

Tim: Regarding how did you get into mediation. How does this come about?

Lisa Scholz: I went through Divorce as well several years ago. And was like most of the public that I’ve talked to, I didn’t know what mediation was.

I heard that I was supposed to go mediation before we had a hearing date. My ex-husband was not interested in participating in that.

That was something he wasn’t interested in. And I looked further into it. I asked a lot of questions.

I was getting ready to go back to school to get a Graduate Degree. And decided that was something I wanted to focus on.

It was Mediation in Complex Resolution. So I actually received my Masters in that specialty in Psychology.

So I come from a completely different perspective, a different background than attorney mediators do. I don’t have that litigation mindset.

I want a peaceful process. And it is completely in the hands of the parties of the clients.

This is their life which the decisions they make about their family should come from them and not from anyone else.

So more of a facilitator trying to ask those important questions that make them thinks about what’s the most important.

How California Divorce Attorneys Charge Clients

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

How California Divorce Attorneys Charge Clients

California divorce attorneys charge their clients for everything they do.  This includes reading or writing emails, phone calls, photocopies and even if they receive a fax from you.  The fees are very high when you use an attorney and you should know how your money is being spent before you retain an attorney.  We have many clients that were not aware how fast their retainers can be spent.

Here is the transcript of the video…

Tim: Right. So let’s talk about that. So let’s talk about the cost of Divorce, the cost of mediation because it can be very expensive or it can be very low cost.

It just depends of what direction you want to go.

And I found it interesting that you know about the point to and how they charge.

Lisa Scholz: Oh yes.

Tim: I worked for a law firm for several years out here. And I was just surprised how much money goes in to this and the way they bill.

Lisa Scholz: Right.

Tim: If you send and call an attorney an email. You’re getting billed for that for them reading it.

If you call them you’re going to be billed for that time. And you get charged in most cases in point six increments.

Lisa Scholz: Right.

Tim: So ten six minutes increments, so if it’s a one minute conversation you’re getting billed for six minutes. And if they charge $450 an hour that phone call cost you 20 30 or 40 bucks for—

Lisa Scholz: And it adds very quickly. I know I’ve had conversations where they received the bill for the month and are just blown away.

They didn’t realized what was being charged, what they were being billed for.

Tim: We’ve had people call us and say I just spent $5,000 on a retainer for an attorney and their assumption was that was the total cost.

Lisa Scholz: Right.

Tim: They thought, okay $5,000 we’ll get through this. They didn’t realize that that’s a retainer. I’ve done a lot of videos about this.

Lisa Scholz: Yes.

Tim: It’s a retainer. They get billed hourly, your photocopies, postage, phone calls, emails were all billed against that.

Lisa Scholz: Everything.

Tim: And it is gone in less than 30 days. And what I found is most of the time all that’s happened is the initial divorce papers were filed.

Lisa Scholz: Right.

Tim: And they’re served. No financial disclosures. Not even close to an agreement because that’s how it goes. I mean–

Divorce Paralegal In Walnut California Walnut Divorce Service

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Divorce Paralegal In Walnut California Walnut Divorce Service

Today we’re talking to the folks in Walnut, California.

I just want to let you know about my business and how we can help you save some money, get you through your Divorce case without the need for hiring an attorney in Walnut.

So my name is Tim Blankenship. We have a licensed and bonded Legal Document Preparation Firm.

What’s that mean is we are a Divorce Paralegal Firm and all we do is specializes in Divorce. That’s all we do all throughout California.

So we are that affordable attorney alternative service that you maybe looking for if you’re going through an uncontested divorce or an amicable divorce or if you just don’t want to spend the money on the attorney.

We find that 90% of the cases filed throughout California for Divorce don’t involve an attorney in any aspect.

However, they do require in most cases if you want to get your Divorce finish successfully is that you use a professional service to prepare the documents, take them down the court, file them, serve them and handle all the agreements and prepare the judgment and wrap thing up for you.

And that’s what we do. As a full service Divorce Paralegal Firm, we will work with you. We will go to court for you.

File the documents, prepare the documents, and handle all the processes and procedures the court requires.

You won’t have to worry about that. And you can essentially go on with your life.

We’ll take care of your business. On our end we are the professionals. We are the go to folks in California for Divorce because that’s all we do.

Just give us a call if you have some questions about what we can do for you or you’re not sure if we will be a good service for you just give us a call.

We handle and we do provide free consultations over the phone. We want to make sure you’re going to be a good client for us as well.

We don’t want to start any cases we can’t finish. So give us a call because we handle so many Divorce cases we see a lot of different scenarios.

So you’ll be surprise at the types of things that we can handle.

So just give us a call. We’ll talk about your specific scenario.

Make sure you’re a good fit. And then explain exactly what we’ll do for you to get your Divorce wrapped up in a fast affordable manner.

The number is on your screen. When you need us, please go ahead and give us a call.