Before choosing paralegal services, first of all, one should know “who is a paralegal”. A Paralegal is an assistant to a lawyer. He performs various tasks like collection, processing, and summarizing the information. He attends corporate meetings and coordinates client meetings on the behalf of his lawyer. He does the research work of his employer. He performs small day to day routine activity in the court on behalf of his attorney.
In a divorce case, one can hire a divorce paralegal only if there are no kids involved, no property or financial obligation issues and the divorce is through mutual consent.
Tips for choosing a paralegal service for divorce needs
1.Type of Paralegal For a divorce case, one should make sure that he/she hire a paralegal who deals in divorce preparation services. It means that a paralegal whom you are hiring should work under a divorce lawyer or has experience in handling divorce cases for his family law lawyer.
2.Search in Local Directory To find a good paralegal, one can firstly lookup in the local directory. There one can inquire about professional services they provide.
3.Online Reviews Once you have selected a few locals, it’s time to check out their online ratings and reviews. One can try various websites like Google and Yelp to find out ratings and reviews. One can also check testimonials published on the paralegals’ websites.
4.Recommendation One should contact his family and friends who have previously hired a paralegal service. He should ask for their recommendation to help him choose wisely.
5.Qualification One should check the qualification for each of the possible paralegals. One should always check certification to save himself from fraud. Also one should check if the potential paralegal has any complaints filed against him.
6.Prepare a Questionnaire Before meeting a paralegal one should prepare a list of questions he needs to ask before hiring a paralegal or legal document assistant. It might include subjects like fee, expected time to be taken to complete the tasks, availability of a paralegal, their work experience, and any recorded complaints against them.
7.Documents Before going for an appointment with a paralegal, one should make sure that all the necessary documents are with him. These documents would decide the work scope of the paralegal.
8.Presentable Make sure that a paralegal you are hiring is decently presentable. One who is going through the pressure of divorce needs a pleasant personality to work with.
9.Organization While in an appointment with a prospective paralegal, one should see that the paralegal has an organized workspace. Also, he should have a friendly behavior with his colleagues.
10.Final Choice Heart always has the final say. If the paralegal has everything great about him but he gives you an uncomfortable or wrong vibe, try choosing another one. If he does not understands your point then make a point not to hire him.
To conclude hire the person who makes you feel most comfortable and can adhere to the needs of your specific case.