Legal Question in Family Law in Georgia
paralegal,my requests
My husband filed for a divorce. I would like to represent myself in court. How I can find a good paralegal to help me fill out the forms and investigation activities. Also can I do myself the requests to the banks and insurance companies ? If yes, how it works.
Thank you.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: paralegal,my requests
It is a crime for a paralegal to assist you in the way you ask. Paralegals have no training whatsoever. Anyone who wants to call themselves one can be one, with no education required, and they are prohibited from giving legal advice or doing anything more than typing forms prepared by someone else (they can't for example tell you what form to use or what to say on the form).
There are only two good options. (1) is to hire a lawyer. That is the best option. (2) is to go it completely alone, and if you do that spend the money you were going to spend on someone breaking the law on being coached by a lawyer in a consult and forms drafting only situation. (2) isn't as good as (1) but it is quite inexpensive.
Re: paralegal,my requests
You can do a google search for a paralegal, but I would advise against it. Paralegals (and I have one) are not authorized to give legal advice and must work under the authority of an attorney when dealing with clients. E.g., my paralegal can tell my clients what documents we need for their cases, but must refer legal questions to me.