Are you considering hiring an attorney to handle your legal matter? Read on to learn the pros and cons of hiring an attorney in California for various legal matters.

The Pros of Hiring an Attorney in California

Preparing California legal documents can sometimes be a complex undertaking. Incorrectly completing a document can result in a complaint or petition being denied. An experienced attorney can provide legal expertise on complex legal matters. An attorney can review your case and offer you legal advice and guidance.

Some legal matters fall outside of what would be considered a normal, routine type of proceeding.  Complex issues may require an in-depth legal analysis that can only be undertaken by an attorney.  You may need direction and guidance about what your legal options are. An attorney can give you needed advice and direction on various types of legal issues.

Preparing a contested case for a hearing or trial can be complicated. Obtaining witness testimony, business documents, and expert witness opinions to support your case can be difficult without the help of an attorney. An experienced attorney can adequately represent you at trial. An attorney can prepare you for the type of questions the judge may ask you at trial and how to best answer them. Being represented by an attorney may provide you the best chance of winning a complex, contested claim at trial.

Completing legal paperwork is not as easy as it sounds. You may complete the wrong form and be forced to start over. Hiring a professional who is familiar with the necessary requirements can expedite the process and make sure the forms are completed correctly. For example, you may need help probating an estate but are unsure where to start. An attorney can give you the legal foundation necessary to successfully complete your legal endeavor. You don’t necessarily need an attorney, however, to complete the legal forms and maneuver through the legal process.

If you cannot afford attorney fees or simply want to save money, you may consider hiring a non-attorney legal document preparer. A legal document assistant can help you prepare needed paperwork for many legal matters. Depending on your situation, the documents for routine legal proceedings can be easily prepared by an experienced legal document assistant. Surprisingly, these routine legal processes often do not require hiring an attorney. It may be more cost-effective to hire a legal document preparer. With the use of legal software, a legal document assistant can prepare routine legal documents with the same content and in the exact format as an attorney would. Contact A People’s Choice to learn more about our legal document preparer services.

The Cons of Hiring an Attorney

One of the main reasons people don’t like to  hire an attorney is because of the expensive legal fees they may incur. There is usually no control over the attorney fees once an attorney  has been hired. As a result, your pocketbook becomes hostage to an expensive legal process. An individual who hires an attorney can expect a very big bill for even the most routine matters. Lawyers on average charge anywhere between $350 – $595 per hour. Often the documents prepared by the attorney have actually been prepared by the attorney’s paralegal. Would you want to pay high fees to a law firm to later find out that a paralegal or law clerk drafted most of your legal documents? Most people would not. This is why more and more people are choosing a legal document assistant to prepare their routine legal documents rather than hiring an attorney.  In addition, not all attorneys are competent in every type of legal matter. You may hire an attorney who lacks experience in your particular type of case. Hiring an inexperienced attorney can dramatically increase your attorney fees while they “learn on the job” at the unsuspecting client’s expense.

Some legal matters can be easily handled without an attorney. For example, many legal proceedings are routine and procedural and do not require legal analysis or advice. Probating your loved one’s estate, filing divorce, preparing estate planning documents or seeking to evict a tenant can often be easily accomplished without hiring a lawyer. On the other hand, people with serious criminal matters and complex civil claims should seek legal representation. 

Contact A People’s Choice for Legal Document Preparation Services

If you need help drafting documents for your legal matter for a common, routine legal process, contact A People’s Choice. A People’s Choice is a California legal document preparation service based out of Ventura, California. Our corporate office offers statewide services and serves all counties and courts in California. When you choose A People’s Choice to prepare your legal documents in these routine matters , you will save thousands of dollars in legal fees. A People’s Choice prepares California court and non-court legal documents. Our goal and mission is to offer high quality legal document services and help our clients avoid paying excessive attorney fees. Contact us for more information about our services.

Get help with your Legal documents today!

A People’s Choice can save you hundreds of dollars by preparing your legal documents instead of an expensive attorney!

We would love to know your thoughts on this article. Connect with us over on Google+ or Twitter and join the conversation