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801 East Second Avenue

Spokane, WA 99202

(509) 326-3600

USING A LAWYER

                1. Free Information Packet/Questionnaire

2. How Much Will It Cost? - List of Fees
3. Being Your Own Lawyer
4. Beware of "Paralegals"

 

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1. FREE INFORMATION PACKET/QUESTIONNAIRE

Anastasia L. Karson and Elizabeth C. Wallace, have condensed all the necessary information to obtain an uncontested divorce, separation or annulment in the State of Washington into a brief questionnaire which you can have mailed to you free of charge.  This questionnaire is much easier to fill out than the blank mandatory forms supplied by the courts, and it provides the attorney with the information to handle your uncontested case at a low flat fee.  The questionnaire also helps you gather the necessary information about your assets and explains what decisions you need to make.  If you would like to order the information packet/questionnaire, click here.
 

2. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? - LIST OF FEES

Uncontested Cases:  The free information packet/questionnaire is a useful tool in helping you and your spouse work out an agreement.  If your spouse is willing to sign the court papers, your case can be handled as an uncontested case for the following fees:

 

                                          Without Dependent             With Dependent Children          Court
                                    Children of This Marriage               of This Marriage                 File Fee

Divorce                                       $200                                        $250                            $250
Legal Separation                          $200                                        $250                            $250
Annulment                                   $200                                        $250                            $250
Modification                                                                                $250                            $  56

There is also a Public Assistance Hearing fee of $75 if either party is receiving Public Assistance, and there is a minor child involved.

For this fee, the attorney will meet with you, prepare your court papers, file them at the court for you, and appear in court to finalize your divorce so that you do not have to.  Your case can be handled through the mail and over the telephone for an additional $50.    If you would like to order the information packet/questionnaire, click here.

If your spouse will not sign the court documents, there will be additional fees depending on the situation.  The additional fees will be explained at your free initial conference with the attorney

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3. BEING YOUR OWN LAWYER

Anyone can be his or her own lawyer. You may have heard the old saying, "A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client." That saying embodies the good as well as the bad in our legal system. The good is that each and every one of us has the right to act as our own attorney in any legal proceeding. The bad is that people who are not trained in the law have no way of knowing what pitfalls are awaiting them and may wind up paying a lot more money to clean up a mess than they needed to pay an attorney to avoid it. Just because you have the right to act as your own attorney does not mean that it is a wise thing to do so.

 

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4. BEWARE OF "PARALEGALS"

You Need a Lawyer - Not a "Paralegal". Beware of non lawyer typists who tell you that you should not have a lawyer handle your divorce! These typists will try to fool you by calling themselves "paralegals" and telling you that you do not need the advice of a lawyer. What they are really doing is charging you for the same service a lawyer would provide but not giving you that service.

Just "Typing Your Documents." These "paralegals" cannot answer your legal questions or prepare your legal documents for you. They may type up "legal" documents for you to sign in order to get your money, but you have no way of knowing if the document does what you want until it is too late. Your divorce may be set aside if it is done incorrectly or you may lose your interest in your real estate or pension plan because of errors in the papers. By the time you hire a lawyer to undo the damage the "paralegal" has done, you will wind up paying many times what you would have paid to have the divorce done correctly the first time.

Out of State Paralegals. The problems are especially bad with out-of-state "paralegals" because the divorce laws in Washington are unique. The State of Washington has its own mandatory forms.  Forms prepared under the laws of other states will not be accepted when you go to court to try to finalize your divorce.

You Can't Afford Not to Use a Lawyer. One of the tragedies of using these paralegals is that you usually wind up paying them more to ruin your case than you would pay a lawyer to do it right in the first place.

 

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