Difference Between a Divorce Paralegal and a Divorce Lawyer

Divorces can be lengthy, tricky and full of surprises. So, it becomes necessary that you hire an experienced and reliable person. The expertise of a professional can help you in getting through this difficulty easily. 

But this poses the question, ‘whom to choose, a divorce paralegal or a divorce lawyer?’ 

We will try to answer just that in this blog. Keep reading to find out more!

The Differentiating Factors

Both, a divorce paralegal and a divorce lawyer can help in finalising your divorce. But, both differ on multiple fronts. We will have a look at some of them in this blog.

Services offered 

• Representation in court: A divorce paralegal and a divorce lawyer can get your divorce finalised. But divorce lawyers have permission by law to represent you in a court whereas divorce paralegals don’t have that permission from the court of law. Still, you can opt for self-representation and hire a divorce paralegal to take legal help at a lesser cost.
• Legal counsel: Both, a divorce paralegal and a divorce lawyer are authorised to provide counselling. But, this authorisation may differ in the case of divorce paralegals based on the state government’s regulations. That is, divorce lawyers can provide legal counselling to the maximum of their knowledge. But divorce paralegals’ counselling is limited to information about correct documents and forms.
• Documentation: Almost all lawyers appoint a divorce paralegal for documentation. In other words, paralegals perform the task of filling the forms, framing the drafts, etc. You can hire a paralegal directly instead of routing through a divorce lawyer. This is the most preferable in case of uncontested divorces.

Fee

Almost all the times, you will find that divorce paralegals charge less fee than a divorce lawyer. This is because of the level of qualification and the services offered. But, you can save your hard-earned money by hiring an expert divorce paralegal and benefit from the years of experience.

The Benefit of Expertise

Divorce lawyers are the people to go to if you have a troublesome divorce case. It is because they hold the expertise and the required authority to handle such cases. On the other hand, simple cases like uncontested divorces can be easily handled by a professional divorce paralegal also. You can approach a divorce paralegal for contested divorces also which don’t have many complexities. Self-representation in a court of law is another situation when you should consider hiring divorce paralegals.

Qualification

To become a lawyer, an individual needs to pass the bar exam. On the other hand, not all state governments insist on such qualifying examination to become a paralegal. However, one does need to complete the studies designed for the paralegal profession. Some states also insist on special certification for practice as a paralegal. So, you need to make sure that your divorce paralegal holds the necessary qualification and permissions. 

Hiring a paralegal for divorce does not guarantee easy divorce. You need to be aware of the laws and legal formalities. You must also check the credentials and references before finalising your choice. There can be some other factors too which can be of more importance. So, you should choose after carefully considering the present and future requirements.