Unbundled Legal Services
“Guided Self Help” Innovation
Save Up To 50% in Legal Fees
Does Guided Self Help Suit Your Legal Needs?
The quest for a trustworthy family lawyer online can be daunting. Amidst countless options and dubious promises, you need clarity and assurance. Your family's future is too precious to gamble.
Goldman Law aims to empower and assist individuals who choose to represent themselves in family law and other matters. The firm has developed an innovative legal service model that is unbundled, online, yet personal, respectful, and responsive. This model is designed to align with modern Australian life and expectations of value in professional service.
Guided Self Help services are suitable for those who are comfortable working independently.
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What Is The Guided Self Help Process?
Four Steps To Save You 50% in Legal Fees
Understanding how Goldman Law can assist with an initial chat, which is a free case or matter evaluation. Not every person or every is suitable for Guided Self Help.
- We will use Microsoft Teams and create you as an external user with your own log in to our server.
- We send our client agreement and terms of business to you, the client and payment into our trust account can be made as well as identity verification as required.
- The client then starts instructing Goldman Law via chat, video, whiteboards and precedents to undertake their legal requirements as well upload their work for review or addition.
- We can prepare or assist or swear affidavits, Applications in a case, contraventions, Divorce, BFA’s, pre-trial orders, mediation, consent orders to name some family law services.
Guided Self Help & Unbundled Legal Services?
Guided Self Help is our innovative legal product which embodies the concept of unbundled legal services, or limited scope representation or discrete task representation.
Simply, these notions refer to a practice where a lawyer and a client agree to limit the scope of the lawyers involvement in a legal matter, leaving some or part of the responsibility for handling the case to the client. This is a departure from the traditional full-service representation where a solicitor handles all aspects of a case.
For instance, the lawyer might only provide legal advice, draft documents, or represent the client in court for a specific issue. The client, on the other hand, might handle tasks such as gathering and organizing documents, filing paperwork with the court, or even representing themselves in court proceedings.
Advantages and Dis-Advantages of Guided Self Help
Guided Self Help may not be suitable for all cases, especially complex ones that require extensive legal knowledge and experience. It's important for clients to understand their responsibilities and the potential risks before choosing this type of legal service.
Advantages:
- Cost-Effective: Unbundled services can be significantly cheaper than traditional full-service representation because clients only pay for the specific services they need.
- Accessibility: These services can make legal assistance more accessible to individuals who cannot afford full representation.
- Client Empowerment: Clients have more control over their case and can be more involved in the process.
- Flexibility: Clients can choose to handle parts of their case that they feel comfortable with and hire a lawyer for more complex aspects.
- Efficiency: For lawyers, unbundled services can be an efficient way to manage their workload, as they are only responsible for specific tasks.
Disadvantages:
- Limited Assistance: Unbundled services may not be suitable for complex cases that require extensive legal knowledge and experience.
- Risk of Misunderstanding: Clients may not fully understand the legal implications of their case and could make mistakes if they handle parts of it themselves.
- Incomplete Representation: There may be aspects of a case that a client is unaware of or does not understand, which could lead to problems if those aspects are not handled by a professional.
- Potential for Confusion: There can be confusion about the scope of the lawyers role, which could lead to misunderstandings or disputes.
- Ethical and Malpractice Concerns: For lawyers, there can be ethical and malpractice concerns if the client does not fully understand the limited nature of the representation.
In conclusion, while Guided Self Help can provide a more affordable and flexible option for legal representation, they are not suitable for all cases or all clients.
Guided Self Help & Suitable Legal Areas
Guided Self Help services can be suitable for a variety of legal areas, particularly those where the legal tasks can be clearly defined and separated. Here are some areas where unbundled legal services are often used:
- Family Law: This can include divorce, child custody, child support, and spousal support cases. For example, a client might hire a lawyer to draft a divorce agreement but handle the filing and court appearances themselves.
- Estate Planning: Clients may hire a lawyer to draft a will or trust, but handle the gathering of information and assets themselves.
- Real Estate: In certain real estate transactions, a client might hire a lawyer to review a lease, but handle negotiations and inspections themselves.
- Business Law: Small business owners might hire a lawyer to draft or review contracts, but handle negotiations and other business matters themselves.
- Cyber or Digital Law: Clients might hire a lawyer to prepare rules, forms or represent them in a specific hearing, but handle other aspects of the negotiation process themselves.
- Civil Litigation: In civil cases, a client might hire a lawyer to draft a complaint or motion, but handle the filing and serving of documents themselves.
Complex cases that require extensive legal knowledge and experience, or cases where the stakes are high, may not be appropriate for unbundled services. The suitability of unbundled services also depends on the client’s ability to handle certain legal tasks themselves.
Disadvantages:
- Limited Assistance: Unbundled services may not be suitable for complex cases that require extensive legal knowledge and experience.
- Risk of Misunderstanding: Clients may not fully understand the legal implications of their case and could make mistakes if they handle parts of it themselves.
- Incomplete Representation: There may be aspects of a case that a client is unaware of or does not understand, which could lead to problems if those aspects are not handled by a professional.
- Potential for Confusion: There can be confusion about the scope of the lawyers role, which could lead to misunderstandings or disputes.
- Ethical and Malpractice Concerns: For lawyers, there can be ethical and malpractice concerns if the client does not fully understand the limited nature of the representation.
In conclusion, while Guided Self Help can provide a more affordable and flexible option for legal representation, they are not suitable for all cases or all clients.
Guided Self Help Quick Facts & Fees 2023
Compiled With Over 10Years of Data From Real Client Questions
What Are The Best And Proven Legal Strategies To Win My Family Law Case?
Legal strategy discussions with a senior lawyer are important for several reasons.
Firstly, having a general philosophy and mission for a law firm helps differentiate the firm from others and demonstrates that the firm has carefully considered what they want to achieve and how they plan to effectively advocate for their clients. This strategic approach can give the law firm a competitive edge and help attract clients who align with their values and goals.
Secondly, discussing legal strategy with a senior lawyer allows for the exchange of knowledge and expertise. Senior lawyers have extensive experience and can provide valuable insights and guidance on how to approach legal issues. They can offer a broader perspective and help identify potential challenges and opportunities that may not be immediately apparent to junior lawyers or clients.
Moreover, senior lawyers can communicate in a way that is more business-oriented rather than using complex legal jargon. This is essential for ensuring that legal strategies are effectively understood and implemented by clients and stakeholders who may not have a legal background. A senior lawyer can translate complex legal concepts into clear and meaningful terms that align with the client’s business objectives.
Furthermore, engaging in legal strategy discussions with a senior lawyer allows for creative problem-solving and the exploration of alternative solutions. By considering different perspectives and brainstorming strategies together, clients and lawyers can develop innovative approaches and find the most effective legal solution for their particular situation.
Lastly, legal strategy discussions with a senior lawyer can help ensure compliance with regulations and minimize potential legal risks. Senior lawyers have a deep understanding of the law and can provide guidance on how to navigate complex legal frameworks. They can help identify potential legal pitfalls and develop proactive strategies to mitigate risks and avoid costly legal disputes.
In conclusion, having legal strategy discussions with a senior lawyer is crucial for law firms and clients alike. It allows for the development of a clear and effective approach to legal matters, facilitates knowledge sharing and creative problem-solving, improves communication, and helps ensure compliance and minimize legal risks.
How Do Goldman Lawyers Typical Professional Fees in a Family Law Matter Compare?
The rates are our top senior lawyers range from $550 to $750 per hour excluding GST.
Our senior lawyers must have had at least 10 years of family law experience in running matters. There is very little that we have not dealt with, from small but complex matters, legal aid panels, protective custody and disputes between states and the federal government, the kidnapping of children, complex financial matters, money laundering, cash businesses, domestic violence, multijurisdictional cases and the list goes on.
Our senior lawyers will personally handle your matter and we are simply too busy to stretch out your matter and to be effective at these higher charge rates, we must be quick, decisive, and work to an agreed strategy.
We know what is not important and we know what to cut out. We know where the cases are heading and do not like to drag them on.
Even though our initial rates may seem higher, the eventual outcome will cost less, and we are successful in achieving a better outcome.
We use technology and automation extensively to reduce the time taken for mundane tasks.
What Are Typical Family Law Fees In The Industry
According to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, parties involved in family law proceedings usually pay their own legal costs. However, there are exceptions to this. The court may order one party to pay the legal costs of another. The amounts payable for a costs order are set out in the scale of costs in Schedule 3 to the Family Law Rules 2021.
The court may also depart from the scale and order that another party pay all of a party’s costs reasonably and properly incurred, which is known as indemnity costs.
The fees for a senior lawyer handling a family law matter can vary depending on factors such as the complexity of the case, the expertise and experience of the lawyer, and the location of the law firm.
In Division 2 of the Family Law Rules 2021, the scale of costs for family law and child support matters is provided.
- For example, for initiating or opposing an application up to the completion of the first court date, the cost can range from $2,512.56 to $3,141.50, depending on the presence of interim orders.
- The fees for attending a hearing can range from $342.19 to $2,512.56 per day, depending on the type of hearing.
- Additionally, there are fees for drafting, conferences, and chamber work, ranging from $277.16 to $721.68 per hour, depending on the level of expertise. Disbursements, such as photocopying and agent fees, are also included in the costs.
These fees are provided as a guide and may vary depending on the specific circumstances of the case and also include Legal Aid Fees.
Per Court Day
Based on another source , the fees for senior lawyers in family law matters can range from $3,000 to $6,000 per day in court. Junior lawyers may charge less due to their developing expertise. These fees are generally for a final hearing and can vary depending on the complexity of the case.
Hourly Rates
Another source mentions that lawyers generally charge an hourly rate for their services. The lowest hourly rate for an admitted lawyer with less than 2 years of experience may be around $300, while the hourly rate for a principal of a law firm with years of experience can be around $600. The fees for talking to a lawyer or seeking legal advice can vary depending on the lawyer’s rate and whether a fixed fee or time-costing method is used.
What Do Barristers Typically Charge?
In a different source, the fees charged by barristers in family law matters are discussed. Barristers are grouped into categories based on their experience and level of expertise. For example, a reader (newly admitted barrister) may charge around $2,500 per day, while a senior junior barrister (with more than five years of experience) may start at around $4,500 per day. Queen’s Counsel and Senior Counsel (more experienced barristers) may charge from $9,000 to $13,000 per day. The choice of barrister will depend on the individual’s case and budget.
In conclusion, the typical professional fees for a senior lawyer handling a family law matter in Australia can vary depending on various factors, including the complexity of the case, the expertise and experience of the lawyer, and the specific services required.
The fees can range from around $2,500 per day for a newly admitted barrister to $13,000 per day for a senior barrister.
Hourly rates for lawyers can range from $300 to $600, and fixed fees may apply for certain services. It is best to consult with a lawyer to obtain an accurate estimate of fees based on the individual’s specific circumstances
Why Do Lawyers Tend To Underquote The Initial Fees? What Can I Do To Protect Myself?
Law firms use various strategies to attract clients, including the initial underquoting of fees. Note: Goldman Lawyers do not use these tactics.
When it comes to marketing, law firms focus on making themselves easy to find online through search engine optimization (SEO) and running SEO campaigns to improve visibility in search results
- One common reason for lawyers to initially underquote client fees is the traditional practice of not advertising prices. Many lawyers were trained by those who practiced at a time when advertisements were prohibited.
- Another reason is that lawyers are often hesitant to bind themselves to a flat fee before knowing anything about the client.
- Each client’s case differs in complexity and requirements, and lawyers may need more information before quoting an accurate fee. For example, a divorce case could range from simple and straightforward to complex and involving multiple assets.
- Furthermore, the unpredictable nature of litigation and transactional matters can make it challenging to estimate the amount of work required.
- Disagreements between parties and unforeseen circumstances may arise during the course of a case, potentially prolonging the work. Lawyers may be reluctant to set a fixed fee upfront when they cannot guarantee the duration or complexity of the legal matter.
- Moreover, lawyers may be concerned that advertising prices could lead to a race to the bottom, with lawyers undercutting each other’s rates.
- While this may benefit consumers, it may not be financially viable for lawyers. Lawyers require compensation that reflects their experience, expertise, and the value they provide to their clients.
- In light of these factors, it may not be advantageous for lawyers to advertise their prices upfront (as we do!!!).
In summary, lawyers initially underquote client fees for various reasons, including the traditional practice of not advertising prices, the need to gather more information about the client’s case, the unpredictable nature of legal matters, and concerns about a race to the bottom in pricing.