Legal document preparation services vary in the exact type of assistance they can offer you. To ensure you choose the company that’s the right fit for your needs, be sure to ask the following questions before you hire them:
-
How soon can they begin work on your case, and how long will it take until the work is done?
Particularly if yours is an urgent matter, you don’t want to hire them only to find out after money has changed hands that they can’t start work on your case for another couple of months. Nor do you want them to start immediately, but then subject you to unnecessary delays due to having too many clients to work for at once. An organized legal document preparer should be able to give you a reasonable estimate for a start and end date.
- How much do they charge for their legal document preparation services?
Be sure to get a detailed breakdown of exactly what services they’ll perform for you, and the total cost, including all taxes and fees. Make sure there are no hidden fees.
- How much experience do they have dealing with your particular type of legal matter?
To maximize the odds of your experience going smoothly, you should hire a professional who specializes in this kind of work. You deserve an expert who knows what they’re doing and will ensure that the entire process goes smoothly.
- What kind of training do they have?
Find out if the legal document preparer that you’ll be working with has paralegal or other specialty training. By law in Arizona, anyone who provides legal document preparation services without the supervision of an attorney needs to be certified via the state’s Legal Document Preparer Program.
- Are they a national company only providing services online, or a local one that provides in-person assistance?
A national service that provides services online may not be fully aware of all the intricacies of Arizona law. Given the fact that we have a federal district (Washington, D.C.) plus 50 states in our country, each with their own laws, it’s easy to imagine the difficulty facing a national firm trying to be an expert in all of them.
Get the most knowledgeable service provider possible and hire a local document preparer that specializes in Arizona’s legal forms.
- Can they refer you to an attorney if your case requires one?
A reputable company that offers good legal document preparation services will have the experience to know whether or not your case requires the input of a lawyer. And they’ll have a go-to list of trustworthy, knowledgeable attorneys to refer you to if needed.
There are many companies offering legal document preparation services – make sure you choose the best!
Don’t be afraid to ask all of the above questions before hiring someone to prepare your legal documents. It’s important that you have all the information you need to choose the one that’s the perfect fit.
