Your lawyer’s qualifications
Limited Scope Representation attorneys are available through our Lawyer Referral & Information Service (LRIS) in family law, consumer law and real estate law. They have specialized training in helping people like you who want to save money and handle more of the work themselves.
Our lawyers have been qualified by our Bar Association. We only refer you to an attorney who has the experience to help you with this program.
How a lawyer can help you
Your attorney went to law school and has experience. This means he or she knows things that you don’t know about the law and can coach you through the legal process.
Here are just a few of the options that you and your lawyer could agree to:
- You can ask your attorney to prepare or review all your paperwork and documents, but you go to court by yourself
- You could do all the paperwork yourself and ask your attorney to go to court for or with you
- You could ask your attorney to coach you on how to present yourself before the judge
- You could ask the attorney to be on “standby” while you go to court, in case you need to make a call during the court case
What you should discuss with your lawyer
Here are a few examples of the kinds of things you should discuss with your lawyer:
- What should you do, and what should your lawyer do?
- How much of the legal work can you (or should you) be doing to save money?
- Who should get the documents together that you’ll need to present to the judge?
- Who should go to court, or any other meetings that are necessary, to resolve your legal issue?
- Who should negotiate with the other side to try to settle out of court?
Make sure you and your attorney communicate clearly about how to move forward and who will be doing what. Regardless of how you proceed, it’s important that you are in control and fully understand how you and your lawyer will be working together. Make sure to discuss your entire case with your lawyer. You’re ultimately responsible for what happens with your case.
Even though this is your case, it’s important to note that you and your attorney are working as a team. Good communication is essential!
Keep in mind that the attorney has much more experience in legal matters than you do. If your attorney feels strongly that the course you want to take isn’t in your best interests, you should listen carefully to the attorney’s reasoning and recommendations. However, the ultimate decision is always yours and you have to be willing to accept responsibility.