UNBUNDLED LEGAL SERVICES

Many people have specific legal needs but do not want to spend the money on a full service attorney. At Family Diplomacy, we practice exclusively in out-of-court dispute resolution, which means that we can tailor a la carte services to fit your particular needs. Below are examples of unbundled legal services that we provide:

*Drafting a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage;

*Responding to a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage;

*Appearing with you at Mediation;

*Engaging in Direct Negotiations with your Spouse or the Other Attorney;

*Filling out Florida Supreme Court Family Law Forms

*Responding to Discovery Requests;

*Researching Legal Issues;

*Ghostwriting Letters;

*Reviewing a Marital Settlement Agreement;

*Preparing you to Represent Yourself in Court; and

*Appearing with you at an Uncontested Final Hearing.

Whatever your out-of-court legal needs, we can help create a plan that is right for you.

Interview: Mosten on Peacemaker Practice Self Survey

I recently had the opportunity to interview ADR legend Forrest “Woody” Mosten.  Woody has been on the forefront of Mediation and Collaborative Practice and is the founder of Unbundled Legal Services.  Woody also happens to be a friend and mentor of mine and my co-author of “Building A Successful Collaborative Family Law Practice” published by the American Bar Association in 2018.  You can find the video below.

You can find the Peacemaker Practice Self Survey reproduced below.

PEACEMAKER PRACTICE SELF-SURVEY

Forrest S. Mosten and Kevin Scudder[1]

Peacemaker Professionals are lawyers, mental health professionals, and financial professionals who deliver services to clients in a number of roles: Advisor, Information Provider, Organizer, Legal Counselor, Mediator, Evaluator, and other forms as service-provider.

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Filling Out Florida Divorce Forms

If you have ever tried filling out Florida divorce forms on your own, you know how difficult it can be.  Just the titles are confusing:  Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, Financial Affidavit, Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act Affidavit.

And yet, you may not be able to afford a full-service lawyer to help you out.  Fortunately, you do have an option.

Unbundled Legal Services

Most people going through divorce do not know about the option of unbundled legal services.  This is an option where you can retain an attorney on an a la cart basis to help you with discreet tasks.  For example, you may need help answering a petition, ghost-writing a letter, or figuring out how child support guidelines work.  Lawyers who provide unbundled legal services will oftentimes require a much-reduced upfront retainer and may hold a credit card number on file to charge on a pay-as-you-go basis.

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Mosten: Is Your Divorce Lawyer Informing You?

If you are considering divorce, you likely think that whether you can have an amicable or collaborative divorce depends wholly on your spouse.  Certainly, the attitude and ability of your spouse to compromise has an effect, but in my experience the attorneys that you and your spouse choose has a much bigger impact.

Beginning A Litigation Divorce

If you and your spouse choose attorneys whose primary orientation is litigation, then there is a good chance that you will face a court battle.  Your litigation attorney will likely draft a petition for dissolution of marriage asking for everything, and then have a process server or sheriff’s officer serve your spouse.  These tactics are all intended to intimidate your spouse and get them to submit.

It should be no surprise that this usually elicits the opposite of the intended response.  Not willing to submit, your spouse hires a “bulldog lawyer,” and the battle is on.  Say goodbye to your children’s college saving.  Know that this money will now be going to your lawyers’ children’s college tuition.

Fortunately, there is a different way.

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Need Help Filling Out Florida Family Law Forms?

There are many people facing divorce and other family law issues who have decided that, to the extent possible, they want to represent themselves (in legal parlance, this is known as acting “pro se“).  In recognition of this, the Florida Supreme Court has approved family law forms to streamline the process of representing oneself.


However, even the most savvy among us, if they have not had legal training, can find the task of facing and filling out 100+ pages in forms to be daunting.  So what do you do if you want to proceed pro se and not have to pay for a full-time attorney, but still need some help and advice filling out the Florida Supreme Court-approved Family Law Forms?

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