Limited Legal Services

An attorney at Family Law Center is available to assist you on a limited basis. This is known as “limited legal services.” You retain control over your case and are responsible for all decisions. You simply choose to hire an attorney for specific services, such as divorce document review.

You choose from a menu of services that could include:

• Legal advice;
• Review of agreements prepared by the other party’s attorney;
• Advice about alternative means of resolving the dispute, such as
  mediation or arbitration;
• Evaluation of your self-diagnosis of the case and advice about legal rights
  and responsibilities;
• Guidance and procedural information for filing or serving documents;
• Review of pleadings and other documents you have prepared;
• Suggest documents for you to prepare;
• Legal document review and preparation;
• Drafting of pleadings, motions, or other documents;
• Legal research and analysis;
• Discovery, which includes interrogatories, depositions, and requests for document production;
• Planning for negotiations;
• Planning for court appearances; or
• Standby telephone assistance during negotiations or settlement conferences.

Your Family Law Center attorney performs only the services specifically agreed upon in writing. He or she does not represent you and does not make appearances for you or sign papers on your behalf. The attorney does not become your attorney of record with the court. You represent yourself throughout the case except for a limited appearance.

A Family Law Center attorney working on a limited services basis will make only those court appearances he or she is specifically hired to make. The lawyer will make it clear to the court at the appearance that he or she is appearing only for that particular hearing, as a “limited appearance.”  The client continues to represent himself or herself.

Clients can sometimes handle the more routine, simple matters with the guidance of an attorney’s limited services. But once the limited services have been performed, if you determine you cannot adequately represent yourself, you can later retain the lawyer to represent you in all aspects of the case. The lawyer would then substitute in and become the attorney of record.

Contact the Family Law Center and inquire about your options for limited legal services.

Family Law Center
1722 Professional Drive
Sacramento, CA 95825
phone: 916-488-5088
fax: 916-488-5080

Family Law Center represents clients throughout California including, but not limited to: Sacramento, Antelope, Auburn, Cameron Park, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Davis, El Dorado Hills, Elk Grove, Fair Oaks, Folsom, Granite Bay, Placerville, Rancho Cordova, Rocklin, Roseville, West Sacramento, Woodland and the counties of Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Yolo and more.