017: Why You Need A Legal Document Assistant And Not A Paralegal For Your California Divorce (Podcast)

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

In this episode, we are talking about what exactly is a Legal Document Assistant. A Legal Document Assistant is what we are.

We discuss the major differences between a Legal Document Assistant and a Paralegal. We will discuss why you don’t want to use a paralegal for your divorce and the rules they violate when doing so.

The distinction is actually quite simple. The functions are essentially the same but there are specific rules. I would say more specific rules for Legal Document Assistants than there are for Paralegal.

Make sure to listen to the latest podcast.

Reseda CA Divorce Paralegal Service

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Reseda CA Divorce Paralegal Service

Today we are talking to the folks in Reseda California in the San Fernando Valley.

We’re a licensed and bonded legal document preparation firm specializing in divorce.

And in this article, I’m going to talk to you about why we are your best option for getting through your divorce. We’re going to help you through your entire case from start to finish for a low flat fee.

As I have stated, we are a licensed and bonded in the Los Angeles County area and we specialize only in divorce. We are full service firm, which means we’re going to care of your entire case from start to finish.

That means filling out the forms, take them down to court, filing them, serving them, all financial disclosures and preparing your final judgment because we are full service, we’ll also help you establish child support, spousal support, custody, visitation, everything you need to get through the divorce process.

It’s not just forms as people think it is. It’s much more difficult to get through the process on your own than it has been in the past and we have everything that you would need. Everything the courts have, everything the attorneys have to help you get through the process.

And because we are a full service, we’ll go down the court for you, file all your forms. This is something where you will be able to go on with your life and not have to think about the process, procedure, what I do next, we take care of all that.

The good news is also, you won’t have to do anything, you won’t have to go to court and we are less expensive than any online solution you may find. Some people look online and they find folks offering low cost prices online and I want to talk to you a little bit about that.

These online service providers basically lure you in with the low cost upfront but it doesn’t include any filing fees. None of the filing fees are included in there and what happens is you have to pay the filing fees twice when you use an online service or any other legal service out there because they’re not familiar with the process.

We specialize only in divorce. We understand the process. I’ve worked for the courts in the past. There’s a way to get through this with a single filing fee and we can save you money on your divorce.

And we’re going to do all the work.

So let me just give you a little bit of math here. If you use an online service provider and let’s say they charge you $300, and that sounds like a great price as they lure people in all the time on that.

You’re going to have to fill out a long questionnaire. They’re going to get the forms all sent to you in a single stack, and then you’re going to have to figure out what to do and read their twenty-page explanation on what to do next.

You’re going to have to go to court, file the forms, serve the forms, do all the work, you’re going to have the other party, in this case, your spouse, obviously, is going to have to do the same thing.

You’re going to have to go down, file a response, serve the papers on you. You guys are going to go back and forth through this – all the way through it. It’s not an easy process.

So you had your $300 fee, and you’re going to have to file $435 currently in LA County, and then, what the instructions will tell you to do is that your spouse has to file a response and pay another $435.

A lot of people do not know that they have to pay another fee. Now, your $870 plus the $300 now you’re at $1170 and you have to do all the work. I just want to make that clear.

You have to go down the court multiple times. File, serve, all that. You’ve already completed this long questionnaire. It’s a lot of work, and then you have to prepare your judgment. You have to make four, five copies of everything. It’s a big deal.

With us, we are less than the total cost, that $1170, we are less than that. We are going to do everything for you. We put in to thought every form there’s no questionnaires, nothing. You go on with your life, we take care of everything and it’s less than any other online service or paralegal service out there. So please give us a call.

Now, here in Reseda, our main office is in Valencia. You do not have to come to our office. We do a lot of what we do right over the phone. We have clients all throughout Los Angeles County, in fact, we have clients all throughout California.

Please give me a call. 661-281-0266. Go to our website, divorce661.com. We have hundreds of videos, podcasts, tutorials, self-help videos. We even are on iTunes at divorce master radio and on Stitcher Radio. So, if you’re on to podcasting you can find us there. We’ve done some interviews and we talk a lot about the divorce process in California.

Please give me a call. We’d love to help you to your divorce process. 661-281-0266

Looking For A Divorce Document Assistant In Santa Clarita

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If you are looking for a divorce document assistant / preparer in Santa Clarita, you have found the right company. In fact, you have found the only company in Los Angeles County that is licensed and bonded to provide legal services and who specializes only on divorce.

It just so happens that we are the only game in town if you are looking to save money on your divorce and have your divorce case and forms expertly prepared by our legal document assistants.

Folks have been flocking to our service in record numbers and not just from Santa Clarita. When people realize they can have their entire divorce case handled by company for an affordable price, they are driving in from Los Angeles, Palmdale/Lancaster, Pomona, San Fernando Valley and Ventura.

Even folks who live outside of driving range are still using our divorce service. We have a system in place that allows us to completely handle your divorce case over the phone, email and fax.

What people like is that they never have to go to court or worry about how to complete the divorce forms. We take care of all of that. We even file all your forms with the court, keep a running file and keep your case moving through the court system.

When people call us, they are amazed at how much information we provide over the phone. Some say they have called other paralegal companies and they just did not get a good feeling about them. But after talking to us, felt very comfortable saying we provided so much information that they fully understood the divorce process.

There is reason for this. We did not just decide one day to provide a divorce document preparation firm. We worked for the Los Angeles Superior Courts for several years (and still volunteer to this day). We also worked at some o LA County's largest family law firms. In addition, we only specialize in divorce cases.

If you are looking for Los Angeles County's number one divorce document assistant company, look no further.

Give us a call and we would be happy to explain our service. One call with us and you will know why people come to us to assist them with their divorce in Los Angeles.

How To Keep Your Divorce Amicable – Santa Clarita

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How To Keep Your Divorce Amicable – Santa Clarita

There are lots of benefits of having an amicable divorce in Santa Clarita. Probably the biggest advantage is cost. With an amicable divorce, you don’t need to hire an attorney which will save you a ton of money.

There are some things you can do to help keep your divorce amicable throughout the process. The common theme throughout this will be communication.

First, prior to filing for divorce it is a good idea that you try to discuss getting divorced. Try to have a few conversations with your spouse and come up with a plan. Those with a plan of action fare much better.

This means deciding on when to file, who is going to file and agreeing on a divorce document preparation company like us to meet with.

One or both of you can meet with us to make sure you are comfortable using our service. When you meet with us, we will explain the divorce process in full so both parties understand exactly what to expect throughout the process.

The next thing to do to keep your divorce amicable is to avoid hiring a process server. Nobody like having some stranger walk up to them and be handed divorce papers and told they are being served. We can help you avoid having to do this. In fact, you could simply have the spouse that needs to be served come to our office and pick up the documents. We will complete the necessary forms to tell the court that service was completed.

Most issues that come up will be about custody and visitation of children or about money. We will show you how to use the courts free services to help you understand the law so you can make decisions on any issues that you are having trouble coming to an agreement on.

Using the ideas in the article will help keep your divorce amicable. Give us a call so we can come up with a plan for you to keep things running smooth during your divorce.

Getting Divorced And Spouse Avoiding Service Santa Clarita

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Getting Divorced And Spouse Avoiding Service Santa Clarita

It only takes one to get divorce and there is nothing your spouse can do to top you. But they can make it more difficult.

In most cases getting the other spouse served the divorce papers is a non issue. You either hire a process server or mail the forms following the guidelines on doing so.

But sometimes the process is not so smooth when a spouse wants to play games or be difficult. The issue with delaying the process of service is that you cannot move on until they are served.

I have two such cases currently. The first is a young couple who’s husband is playing cat and mouse with the process server. He was told wife was filing and for unknown reasons is avoiding being served.

All this is causing is a delay in the case and costing his wife more money because the process server is spending a lot more time trying to serve him. They now have to sit outside the home and conduct surveillance and get him somewhere between the front door of the house and the car.

They have already been to the home several times and he lives with room mates. He does not come to the door and they can tell they have been instructed to tell him that the husband is not home.

In the other case, the wife is being difficult in being served. The process server waits outside the house for her to come home from work. She knows there is someone waiting to serve her so pulls into the garage and closes the door.

Again, all that happens is more time is spent trying to serve her. Because she is doing this, husband decided to serve her at work which will cause her a bit of embarrassment.

When you work with us we try to keep everything going smoothly and explain the process in detail so you understand the divorce process. We try to avoid having these contentious issues in the beginning or at all for that matter.

Do You Need A Process Server For Your Santa Clarita Divorce

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Do You Need A Process Server For Your Santa Clarita Divorce

There are some misunderstandings about if you need a process server for your divorce. The reason is because the answer is yes and no and depends on the circumstances. We will explain here.

Normally, the first paper that is filed on your spouse needs to be done by personal service. This would mean hiring a process server or having someone over the age of 18 who is not involved in the case serve your papers.

For instance, if you were the one to file for divorce, you would have to have them served personally. It can even be a family member. One of my clients recently had their adult child hand her dad the papers. This was obviously an amicable divorce situation where everyone was on board.

But there are times where you can simply mail the initial divorce forms to your spouse. When possible, this is my preferred method of serving divorce papers.

There is a form you can use to send the initial divorce documents to your spouse. It is called a notice of acknowledgement of receipt. You have to mail it with 2 copies and have to make sure to check the boxes that says you are serving the summons and petition and any other forms you happen to be mailing to the respondent.

When you use this form, you still have to have to complete a proof of service of summons. This is another area i see where people have issues.

When you mail the initial documents using the notice of acknowledgment of receipt, you need to also complete the proof of service and file both forms with the court. You will check the box that says you used this form and complied with the rules when doing so.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation company that specializes in divorce.

 

Would You Go On Vacation To Get Divorced

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Would You Go On Vacation To Get Divorced

People come up with some pretty crazy ideas in business sometimes to stand out from the crowd.   I listened to a Podcast today of an attorney who helps people get divorced through mediation.  But with one twist.  They go on vacation to a destination of their choice to complete their divorce.

The attorney Tracey Rosswurm out of Fort Wayne, Indiana says this is a  cost effective way to get through the divorce process.  At the very least it is getting her some attention.  Heck, she was interviewed by a radio show and now I am writing about it.

Here is how it works.  The couples decide that they would rather mediate their divorce rather than going to court.  They decide on a destination that they would enjoy and go there along with the attorney.

The idea is that you are in a nice place without the daily distractions of life.  You can focus on the issues of the divorce at hand and there is nowhere to go.

So what about the  cost.  The attorney says that the costs of the “destination divorce” is much less than that of going to court.  That would be true if the divorce ever ended up in court in the first place.  But certainly, mediation is more cost effective than both spouses hiring an attorney.

I think there will only be a few people that would choose to do this.  It is hard for me to wrap my head around this idea.  If I were going through a divorce, I would not want to ruin some vacation destination that I love by leaving memories of being there for finalizing a divorce.

I would love to hear your comments on this.  Would you go on vacation to get  divorced?  Do you think this is a sustainable business model or a short lived marketing ploy?

 

Another Post Judgment Child Support Motion In Central District

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Another Post Judgment Child Support Motion In Central District

As legal document assistants we are authorized to work directly for folks in preparing their legal documents.  And lately we have been seeing a huge increase in post judgment motions being filed .

This particular motion is asking for a modification of child support and they want the other party to pay for their attorney fees.

The motion that was filed was a request for more child support and stated that the father was now making more money.  In most cases, you file a motion to modify child support if there is a change in circumstance such as a parent making more or less money.

In this case, the mother stated that father was making more money now and wanted the Court to order higher child support based on the guideline child support limits  and that she was earning less money.

It all comes down to how much the parties make and how much custody and visitation each of them have.  The problem sometimes is determining how much the parties truly make, especially when they own a business and are not receiving a paycheck that can be verified.

This motion also asked for the other party to pay for attorneys fees.  That never rubbed my right.  Tell me what you think about this.

A spouse hires an attorney to modify child support.  She works and had access to funds, but because father makes more money, makes a request in the motion that the husband is to pay for all her attorney fees.  If this motion is granted, then the husband has to pay for his wife’s attorney to file a motion against him.  And just to rub salt in the wound, he is not hiring an attorney himself.  He is going to have us prepare our firm prepare the response so he does not have to pay for an attorney he can’t afford.

We specialize in helping folks get through their divorce including preparing post judgment request for orders and motions.  We are headquartered in Santa Clarita and we serve all of Los Angeles County and all the Courts.

Cost Of Divorce Attorneys Unaffordable For Many In Santa Clarita

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Cost Of Divorce Attorneys Unaffordable For Many In Santa Clarita

It’s a fact.  Many people cannot afford the cost of an attorney for their divorce.  Either they don’t have the money or, if they do, are not willing to spend it to get divorced.  That is where our divorce legal document assistance comes into play.

Here is an example of a client that, but for our service, would have been left to figure things out on his own.

A client was recently served with a Request For Order with the mom asking to move away with their child to another state.  He called me to see what we could do for him.  I advised him we would help him prepare a response to the motion along with a declaration, etc.

In his email to me, explaining what he wanted to address on the declaration, he asked me if I thought he would be okay representing himself.  I answered him honestly.  I told him that many people represent themselves.  I told him that because the mom had an attorney, he may be at a disadvantage in his case.

Then I answered his question with a question.  I asked him if he could afford to pay $5,000 to $7,500 for an attorney to prepare his response and represent him at the court hearing.  He replied that he could not afford to pay that much money for an attorney.

And sometimes that is all it comes down to.  Of course, everyone would love to use an attorney for their divorce case if it was affordable.  But it isn’t.  In fact, because attorneys are seeing less and less clients these days, they are actually raising their hourly billing rates to make more off the clients that they do have.

Yes, gone are the days of refinancing our homes to pay for everything.  Cars, toys and even divorce.  Now we feel the pain of that big purchase, going further into debt to pay for the things we don’t really need.

The cost of divorce attorneys in Santa Clarita are unaffordable for many, but there is help out there and we are it.  We are licensed and bonded in the County of Los Angeles to provide legal document assistance.  We specialize in divorce and can provide you with a complete understanding of the divorce process and help you with most family law related matters.  Give us a call for more information.

How To File An Order After Hearing | Santa Clarita Divorce

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How To File An Order After Hearing | Santa Clarita Divorce

You went to divorce court, spoke to the Judge during a hearing and the Judge made orders that you requested.  That’s great, right?  Not so fast, you still have to prepare an Order After Hearing or OAH.

This article is a follow up to an article we wrote about representing yourself during a hearing and what you can expect.  This article is going to explain what you have to do after the hearing in order to have your judgment enforced.

Once the Judge makes orders, you have to get a copy of the Minute Order.  The Minute Order is what the clerk in the courtroom prepares and is a written summary of the Judges orders.  You can get a copy of the Minute Order a few days after your hearing.  You will then use the Minute Order to prepare your Order After Hearing.

What is an Order After Hearing?  It is a form you will use to document what the Judge has ordered.  You will prepare the Order After Hearing  which then needs to be mailed to your spouse who is to sign the Order After Hearing agreeing to the language of the Order.

But what happens if they refuse to sign it?  In that case, you have to wait 10 days for them to return the signed Order After Hearing.  After that, you can file the OAH along with a Declaration Regarding Execution of Order After Hearing.

When you mail the Order After Hearing to your spouse for their signature, you have to include a letter which indicates that they have 10 days to respond.

It is quite a process to get an order signed by the court.  By this time you have waited about 2 months to get your hearing, then you have to get the Minute Order, complete the Order After Hearing, wait 10 days, then draft a Declaration Regarding Execution of Order After Hearing, then wait for the Judge to sign and return that.

So here is our recommendation.  If you are going to represent yourself in court or at a hearing, have us prepare your motion.  We will take care of everything from filing and serving to completing the Order After Hearing so you don’t have to worry about all the requirements as discussed here.

We specialize in the divorce process in Santa Clarita and are legal document assistants here to help.

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