Monday, May 29, 2006
By Mary Radigan
The Grand Rapids Press
Karen Snyder spent $2,500 to have her first living trust compiled. She paid $399 for the second one.
The difference?
The first document took a month of preparation with a law firm in another state. The second living trust took less than a week and was completed by We The People document-preparation service.
"I had a whole different experience with We The People and got immediate answers to all my questions," said Snyder, 42. "I checked them out to be sure the living trust document would be legally binding and took a workbook home to help me fill out the forms."
The Kentwood resident said she felt comfortable asking questions and making changes in the trust. Snyder and the office's staff prepared the forms for a paralegal, who verified the documents were acceptable under Michigan laws.
Suzanne Covington is getting a divorce but cannot afford a lawyer. The Comstock Park resident turned to the Legal Assistance Center to get the forms and help filling them out.
It cost her a few dollars for the paperwork and, because she receives state assistance, the court-filing fee was waived.
"I would have to wait until I could raise the money for a lawyer if I couldn't get this help," said Covington, 40. "I went to the library for a self-help book, but I wasn't sure about the accuracy, so I came here."
Do-it-yourself document preparation for uncomplicated legal matters is growing as many people find they cannot afford hourly legal costs, according to the National Association of Legal Document Preparers.
"Some people just realize they don't need the services of a lawyer," said Lizanne Sadlier, director of the association. "In California, Arizona and Florida, more than 50 percent of all divorces are done without representation."
The American Bar Association says 38 million low- and moderate-income Americans hit a wall when it comes to getting access to the civil justice system.
One study estimates consumers could save more than $1.3 billion by using independent paralegals for routine matters such as uncomplicated divorces.
Audrey Czerew decided to use a lawyer and paid $1,500 for a divorce filing involving children. She then turned to the Legal Assistance Center to file for a change in domicile and also for an exemption for Friend of the Court services.
"I felt it was important to use a lawyer and to be sure the divorce filing was done right, so that we weren't wasting the court's time," said Czerew, a Grand Rapids resident. "But I didn't want to pay $170 an hour to have these additional documents (completed), and this was easy."
How the bar helps
The Legal Assistance Center is a nonprofit organization created in 2002 by the Grand Rapids Bar Association.
The office assists about 1,000 people a month with legal documents for civil matters and turns no one away, regardless of income, said Kristin Hanratty, a lawyer and the executive director.
The center helps with document preparation, can arrange hearings and assist in filing papers. Trained volunteers, paralegals and lawyers help at the center, and Cooley Law School is working with the center to develop a course for students.
"We don't provide legal services, and we only charge for the cost of the paper," Hanratty said. "Seventy percent of what we do is family law. If it's a complicated issue, we can steer a person to the Lawyer Referral Services."
Paul Sorensen, president of the Grand Rapids Bar Association, said people are free to look for the lowest prices for any product or service, but lowest price does not mean best value.
"The training and experience lawyers bring to the table really do matter, even on what might seem to be simple things like wills or no-fault divorces," said Sorensen, who also is president of the Legal Assistance Center. "In those two situations, for example, what is best for one person might not be best for another."
Still, the options and services are there if consumers want to go it alone, Sorensen said.
We The People
That includes We The People, a national franchise with 170 offices in 32 states. Founded in 1985, the business handles everything from wills, for $99, to probate matters, which cost $599.
The trained staffers are not lawyers and do not provide legal advice.
Clients are responsible for providing all information and receive a workbook for the legal matter they are pursuing. Once that is filled out, We The People helps prepare the proper form, which then is sent to a processing center and examined by a para-legal.
Most documents are prepared within two to five days, depending on the complexity of the form. The service handles everything from emancipation of a minor to name changes. Customers file the forms with the court, which requires a separate fee.
"The paralegals are trained for particular states, because the laws are all different," said Dan Koetsier, co-owner of the local franchise with his wife, Sarah.
They are certified document preparers and act as witnesses and notaries. They also have a local attorney who oversees the processing and can answer a client's general legal questions, without an extra charge.
"We The People provides assistance to those looking for a middle ground," said Koetsier, 41. "This is for people who don't want high attorney fees, but aren't confident in doing it themselves."
The Koetsiers will help with a filing and can make changes on documents. The couple have clients as a far away as Detroit, and some families have used the service more than once.
Melissa Soper, general manager at the We The People headquarters in Berwyn, Pa. compared the service to options available for income tax filing.
"Some people have a CPA and others use Turbo Tax software," Soper said. "Others go to H&R Block tax preparers. They all are options."
We The People has served more than 500,000 customers since the franchise started. In Michigan, there are two other locations, East Lansing and Roseville (north of Detroit).
Walker resident Dorothy Balsitis, 68, and her daughter, Jerri Halicki, 50, turned to We The People for assistance with a living trust.
"I'm very happy to have this done because it takes a whole lot of worry out of the (process)," Balsitis said, as she signed numerous documents, including power of attorney and patient advocate authorizations. "Trying to get an appointment with an attorney is like pulling teeth."
The family could have helped Balsitis complete a will online but were not comfortable with the legality of the document, said Halicki, who lives in Jenison.
"We had questions about a lot of things that could not be answered online,' Halicki said. "We got everything answered here, and now it's all in writing."
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