HOW TO HIRE A LEGAL DOCUMENT PREPARATION COMPANY TO PREPARE YOUR DIVORCE DOCUMENTS

(prHWY.com) April 20, 2012 - Albany, NY -- preparation firm to handle your uncontested or No-Fault New York State Divorce:
1. Whenever possible, hire a firm located in New York State, preferably one with bricks and mortar locations in the state in addition to an online presence. Steer clear of any firms with an online-only presence.
2. When hiring a legal document preparation firm, local IS better. Try to find one that is established in the jurisdiction you are filing. A company that files a large number of divorces in your Supreme Court jurisdiction will have the inside track on the ins and outs of filing for divorce in your county.

3. Experience matters. Find out how long the company has been preparing divorce documents in your
jurisdiction and how many divorces they file over all in New York State each year. A reputable bricks and mortar legal document preparation firm that is filing more than 200 - 300 divorces a year in New York State would be a good choice.

4. Get a clear idea of what will and will not be included in the legal document preparation fees before you hire any firm. Many disreputable online document preparers don't warn filers there will be court filing fees, for example, so it comes as a shock to divorce filers when they find out there are several hundred dollars more in filing fees payable to the court in addition to what they paid for the divorce document preparation. A reputable legal document preparation company will quote up front ALL fees necessary to have your divorce completed, including the applicable filing fees in your jurisdiction. In general, there will be approximately $335 dollars in uncontested divorce filing fees for most counties in New York State. You should be suspicious of any firm that does not fully disclose these fees up front.
5. Whenever possible, hire a firm where you can meet with a legal document preparation professional in person for a consultation to go over your divorce filing situation. Here are some guidelines on the amount of time you should expect to spend with a legal document professional for your first meeting based on the following situations:

A. Anywhere from 5 - 15 minutes for an initial meeting if you have no assets, no debts and no minor children with your spouse. This is the simplest of all possible situations. B. Anywhere from 15 - 20 minutes for an initial meeting if you have assets and debts to be discussed in your divorce. C. Anywhere from 15 - 30 minutes for an initial meeting if you and your spouse have minor children and need to discuss custody, visitation and child support arrangements. D. Anywhere from 20 - 60 minutes for an initial meeting for couples that have minor children's issues to discuss and have numerous asset and debt issues to be detailed in their divorce documents.
6. Ask for referrals from trusted friends and family members. Understandably, it is difficult to discuss divorce with your close friends and family, but if someone you are close to has had a positive experience with a legal document preparation company, they will most likely want share their experience with you.
7. As with any important decision, don't shop on price alone. If a company is promising you just the "blank forms", don't pay them anything. Blank New York divorce forms can be picked up at your local Supreme Court Clerk's Office for free. Here's what you can expect to pay for reputable legal document preparation of a No-Fault or uncontested divorce in New York State:
A. If the company is providing ONLY the blank forms: Do not pay anything for blank forms. You can obtain them for free from your Supreme Court Clerk. B. If the company is providing ONLY the appropriately filled-in divorce forms and you must handle all filing, notarization and procedural work in the court yourself: Expect to pay between $250 - $ 400, not including filing fees, depending upon whether you have assets,debts and/or minor children. C. A full-service legal document preparation company will provide you with all the appropriately filled-in divorce forms for your particular situation, you will have met in person with a qualified legal document professional, and the firm will provide all in-office Notarization of your divorce documents, and all filing and procedural work in the court system. For this type of service you should expect to pay between $400 - $700, not including filing fees.
By keeping these guidelines in mind, you should be able to find a legal document preparation company that is knowledgeable, experienced, pleasant to work with and provides you with a good value for your money.

###