Benefits of Using Court Docs

               Without a doubt, by the time you’ve found yourself thinking about filing or being served with a lawsuit, you’ve already most likely been through quite an ordeal, both emotionally and sometimes even physically. With the added cost of litigation today, lawsuits take it a step further and completely drain you both emotionally and financially, too. Suppose you are going through a divorce, being sued civilly, or considering suing someone. In that case, you might start asking yourself, “Can I use a Document Preparation Service instead of a lawyer?”.

               If you are unfamiliar with the laws, forms, and procedures for your local courts (which most of us are, aren’t we?), a Document Preparation Service can be an asset instead of financing a team of lawyers to fight your battle. Document Preparers are often also a far better alternative to attempting to go at the treacherous legal landscape all on your own.  

               By now, you might be thinking that this sounds like an easy win for the Document Preparation Services over the Attorneys, right?  Well, not so fast. There are a few things that Document Preparation Services cannot do that a lawyer can. First, Document Preparers are not lawyers and, therefore, cannot give legal advice or answer any legal questions about your rights and remedies or provide their thoughts and opinions about the possible outcomes of any legal scenarios.   Similarly, Document Preparers cannot represent you in Court or any other scenario. However, a Document Preparer can provide you with all the non-legal information regarding costs, court procedures, decorum, local judge’s requirements, and other standards to which litigants are expected to comply.

               The services of a Document Preparation Service are generally those that cover routine, uncomplicated legal processes. Often, it is just a matter of getting Clients through the formalities and customs of legal processes and procedures. We ensure that the correct paperwork is filed in the right place and before the deadline. This paperwork is all standard forms as prescribed by the Florida Supreme Court or as dictated by the Florida Rules of Procedure, using the information provided by you, which is used to customize the forms to be specific for the details of your case.

               So, what are the benefits of using Document Preparation Services over a lawyer? Let’s take a closer look at why there has been such a surge in the use of Document Preparation Services over lawyers in recent years:

• COST.   First and foremost, the single most significant advantage is cost. Lawyers and law firms charge thousands of dollars for retainers and hundreds of dollars per hour for every second they even think of your name. Law Firm culture is such that lawyers are put under enormous pressure to produce higher and higher billable hours each year, which means they pass the buck to you and your case. In contrast, document preparers cut out the debates and legal strategies (remember they cannot give you legal advice), which frees their time up to get to work on your documents in a more organic way. Also, for the most part, most of the services offered are flat fee jobs, meaning that the fee for the documents they prepare for you are agreed upon upfront and are a set rate so regardless of if they spend an hour or ten hours on your forms, your price remains the same. You can’t imagine the significance of the savings on even the simplest of matters. Document preparation services save you thousands of dollars in fees over lawyers.

• TIME AND EXPERTISE. Most legal issues require filing a Petition or Complaint and a laundry list of ancillary documents simultaneously and following specifically outlined processes and procedures to get your case moving through the process. Some materials are confusing and difficult to understand, which could cause you to spend hours, days, or even weeks trying to decipher legalese to formulate just the first steps or correctly complete and file necessary forms with any number of Courts. Also, each Court has its own specific local rules, and much the same, some judges have their policies and procedures. It is certainly understandable how people get so bogged down with all the formalities that somehow massive amounts of time are lost due to researching how to perform basic tasks. That is where the superhero cape comes out for the Document Preparer. They have the ability to provide you with the resources you need to save yourself a lot of time by utilizing their expertise.

• CONVENIENT. Document Preparation Services are provided by highly skilled, trained, and experienced experts. Due to the nature of their work, it is not necessary to spend much, if any, face-to-face time with the Document Preparer. Most, if not all, of the communications between you and the Document Preparer can be done online through chat or via email. This means never having to use your vacation time from work to sit in some drab law office and wait for your lawyer for an office conference.

• AVAILABILITY.  Unlike lawyers, who are not available during evenings or holidays (and if they are, they are now charging you over $1,000 per hour for their time), most Document Preparation Services are available around the clock for no extra charge.

• WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES BUT PAY ONLY FOR WHAT YOU NEED.  Document Preparers often offer a wide range of services, from notary services to complete custom divorce packages and just about everything in between. The convenience of having these services available to you is endlessly valuable. Still, you aren’t obligated to pay for any services you haven’t hand-picked and agreed on at a price you predetermine! After all, this is your case, and nobody can put on the show entirely as you can, so use whatever services you deem necessary and save by performing some of the others on your own. There is indeed a service level for every budget imaginable.

• PEACE OF MIND. Backed by decades of experience and endless hours of specialized training and continuing education, you can feel confident that your documents are correctly prepared and completed using the most up-to-date processes and procedures for whichever specific Court that your case requires. Having proper paperwork means reduced delays in court proceedings due to mistake filings or inaccurate information, efficient case management protocol implementation. It allows for more time to prepare for your hearings and trials adequately.

           The long and short of it is that there are many benefits to utilizing a document preparation service when faced with either filing or defending against a civil lawsuit, a divorce action, an uncontested divorce, or when you need to formalize an agreement such as a Marital Settlement Agreement or Pre/Post Nuptial Agreement. By doing so, you can keep costs low, often saving thousands of dollars on attorney fees, and you will instead work with friendly, well-trained, and approachable specialists who will walk you through all aspects of what documents you may need for your case. 

          Remember, a Document Preparer is not a lawyer and cannot give you legal advice. It is equally important to realize that the document preparation service is not a substitute for the advice or services of an attorney. A Document Preparer strives to simplify the clerical process so that self-help consumers and self-represented parties can handle their legal situation without despair so that they can come out of the case with their dignity (and finances) intact!