Q: Do I need a lawyer to prepare my documents?

A: Not all legal documents require an attorney’s touch. In fact, you can often save money and time by contracting with a qualified legal document preparer.

Q: Can you help me with my legal questions?

A: No. We are a document preparation company, not a law firm. None of us are lawyers, and we’re not qualified to give you legal advice about your decision to have us prepare your case for filing in a self-represented manner. There is publicly available information. If you have questions that can’t be answered there, you are encouraged to consult with a licensed Florida attorney who is experienced in that area.

Q: Do I need an attorney? How do I know you will complete all of the required documents?

A: Whether you hire an attorney is entirely up to you. We have access to the documents expected for each of the services we provide. If we don’t, we will tell you immediately. Many legal document preparers are former paralegals with years of experience working for law firms. Florida court procedure is confusing, but most document preparers are well aware of the minutiae of timelines, formats, and court rules. Customers always remain in control of their legal actions. It is up to the customer, the pro se litigant, to educate him/herself about the issues and to construct his own strategy. Having control of the case strategy allows the self-represented litigant to be more agile in making compromises, and by being in control may be able to avoid long drawn-out litigation.

Q: What can I expect to receive about my questions or concerns?

A: Legal document preparers are generally excellent communicators and are happy to keep their customers informed about their work. Many document preparers teach their customers how to check their case docket, and deal with the court clerk.

The pro se litigant is a customer to the legal document preparer – a valued customer. The level of customer services offered by legal document preparers includes easy access to the document preparer. Most document preparers operate solo or have a very small staff, so the customer almost always communicates with the same person preparing the documents.