CT Lawyer Offers Coaching for Couples who can't Afford Divorce
Recognizing that divorce without any legal advice can often
be an even greater challenge for couples already undergoing the difficulties
associated with their separation, one Connecticut divorce attorney has begun offering a
different divorce option.
Susan Wakefield has practiced divorce and family law for 20 years, and she has recently begun offering couples who cannot afford the
price of full representation a "limited scope option." Also known as legal coaching Wakefield offers
this service at much lower rates than what attorneys usually charge for
services in divorce cases.
"I've been restructuring my practice to offer this service
because many people don’t have the money as a result of the economic downturn
and are going to court without an attorney," Wakefield says. "I give them the tools they need for
self-representation."
Wakefield charges 30% less for legal coaching and does not
accompany her clients into the courtroom for this divorce option. Requests for her legal coaching have risen
considerably over the past six months, she says. The number of people going alone to divorce
court has doubled over the past few years at the same time when Connecticut’s
Judicial Branch has seen its funding for self-representation cases reduced.
"I'm getting four inquiries a day, whereas six months ago I
was getting four a week," she says. She
has been in her own practice for eleven years, and feels like the interest in
limited scope representation is not likely to decrease any time soon.
"This will not go away because people are hurting financially
and hurting economically." She plans to
focus as much of her time as possible on legal coaching services.
"This allows me to focus on what I'm passionate about and
love to do – work with people one-on-one to see them through at a difficult
time."
The Connecticut Judicial Branch’s Public Service and Trust
Commission recently released a report on its strategies to offer better
services to state taxpayers, and among the planned initiatives were increased
assistance for individuals opting to represent themselves.
The number of self-represented parties in the state's court
system is anticipated to grow as the economic conditions put more and more
people out of work, says Krista Hess, a member of the Public Service and Trust
Commission's Committee on Self-Represented Parties.
"It's all about accessibility to the court system, and if
the numbers do go up, we’ll be ready for it," she says.
Hess is also the program manager for the
Judicial Branch’s Court Service Centers, and she is seeing many individuals who
previously held jobs that would have allowed them to hire an attorney are now
out of work. While these individuals
might not necessarily prefer to represent themselves, Wakefield and Hess plan
to support those who are now left with little choice.
While family law cases see the most self-represented
parties, one Connecticut judge, Raymond Norko, says that the system will
benefit from increased attention on the needs of this group.
"The bottom line is we need more intelligent forms, more
understanding and more accessibility."
Source: The
Connecticut Post
