Let’s work on making the legal system accessible to everyone

Money Matters!

Resources Matter!

Knowledge Matters!

The legal system needs a full redo! (Let’s use family law for the example today!)

Lawyers fee: $345-$575+ an hour

Self-Representing fees: Filing costs, Time (lots of time), Mental Wellness

Imagine:

- You have two kids full time, you work full time, now you are in court and or dealing with court matters part time.

- You can’t afford a lawyer but can’t afford not to have a lawyer.

- You lose full days at work.

- Lose time with your kids.

And court is NOT a one-time thing. Once you enter the game, you must play and or try to play every level. Until an agreement is made, either by both parties and or by the Justice system for you. No one wins.

A LOOK INTO THE PROCESS:

Step one: File paperwork, serve the other party or you get served.

Step two: Attend what is called Docket Court. This is court to determine what court you should proceed to next.

- This can last from an hour to the full morning depending on where your case is in the line up.

- Lawyer attends and prepares everything.

Step three: Prepare for the court session determined through docket court.

- This will include writing an affidavit, preparing evidence, filing the affidavit, and sometimes writing a response affidavit, and filing that too.

Step Four: Attending court.

- This is usually morning chambers.

- You will be there all morning.

- You get maybe 20 minutes of the Justices time.

Step Five: Prepare for the next step.

- More affidavits,

- More meetings this time with a Dispute Resolution Office (DRO). Who makes suggestions, and your legal counsel will advise which direction they think you should go in.

Price and Time Check In:

Time in court: 10-12 hours ($4,500)

Time preparing with the lawyer: 5 hours ($1,875)

Time preparing without the lawyer: 20 hours.

Time the lawyer spends preparing: 25 hours ($9,375)

(writing, reading, filing, meeting with the other lawyer)

Time lost at work, with kids: 35 hours.

Total Amount $15,750.00 (with a JR lawyer

Step Six: Attend or proceed with the next steps decided by (with) the DRO. In this example let’s use a Parenting Coordinator!

- Parenting Coordinator fee $490/hour

- Two-hour sessions

Step Seven: After months of working with a parenting coordinator, with no resolution, solution, or outcome. Both parties agree to go back to court. BACK TO STEP ONE: file paperwork. Then on to STEP TWO: DOCKET COURT!

Step Eight: Trial or a Binding JDR

Price and Time Check In (prior to trial)

Time with Parenting Coordinator with no lawyer: 8 hours ($3,920)

Time with Parenting Coordinator with Lawyers: 8 hours ($6,920)

Time Preparing with lawyer: 4 hours ($1.500)

Time lost at work: 20 hours.

NEW TOTAL: $28,090

After months, sometimes years of going through the various legal proceedings, you end up back in docket court, to decide if you go to trial or into a binding JDR.

You have spent $30,000 and trial will be at least $50,000. You can’t afford a lawyer. Sure, there is Legal Aid, but you MUST qualify.

The legal system and the knowledge within the legal system should be accessible/ understandable to everyone and should not be determined around how much money you make.