Cape Cod Divorce & Mediation, P.C.
Law Office of Chantal Hayes Rice, Esq.
Law Office of Chantal Hayes Rice, Esq.
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LIMITED ASSISTANCE REPRESENTATION (LAR)
Limited Assistance Representation, also known as "LAR.", provides a pro se (unrepresented) party with legal consultation or representation for a specific limited purpose. The attorney and client enter into an agreement whereby the attorney agrees to assist the client on a limited basis. LAR works well for a client who is able to manage his or her own case for the most part, but seeks legal assistance for a portion of the case or at a certain stage in the process. LAR is also ideal in cases where a client cannot afford to hire a full time attorney due to a limited budget but needs legal advice or assistance. Cape Cod Divorce & Mediation, P.C. offer two types of LAR: office consultation appointments and limited court appearances.
LAR for OFFICE CONSULTATION APPOINTMENTS: Where the client schedules a consultation appointment at the lawyer's office for services including:
- General advice and/or document review.
- Coaching and advice to prepare the client for a court hearing where the client is appearing in court without a lawyer i.e. for a motion hearing, pre-trial conference or trial.
- Mediation coaching: where the client is actively engaged in mediation and seeks to obtain ongoing advice from the LAR attorney who acts as a sideline coach.
- Assisting a client in negotiating a settlement agreement with the other party.
- Ghostwriting and/or drafting documents for the client such as complaints, motions, affidavits, financial statements, etc.
- Assisting the client in obtaining discovery from the other party i.e. interrogatories, requests for production of documents, requests for admissions, subpoenas.
- Helping the client with the preparation of a pretrial memorandum.
- Assisting the client to prepare for trial i.e. preparing arguments, testimony and exhibits.
LAR for NEGOTIATION OR COURT APPEARANCES: Where the client hires the LAR attorney for a specific court appearance or to negotiate with the opposing party or lawyer. In this case, the lawyer would enter a "Limited Appearance" on the client's behalf and then a "Withdrawal of Limited Appearance" immediately following the end of the service. This signals to the court and the opposing party that the client is being represented by legal counsel for purposes of a specific hearing or purpose only and that the client will continue to be unrepresented there after.
LAR FEE AGREEMENT: For Limited Assistance Representation, the client does not pay a large retainer to the LAR attorney as he would in the typical full representation case. Instead, the client pays the lawyer by the hour on a per-appointment basis or may pay a small advance retainer for a limited court appearance or for negotiations with the opposing party. Payment is expected at each appointment either by check or credit card. LAR will save the client thousands of dollars because it provides legal assistance only when the client needs it. In the event that the client decides that full representation is needed, then he or she would simply enter into a full representation agreement with the lawyer. Please visit the Payment Options page for more information on legal fee options. 