You now have a third option.  The third option is Your Legal Coach.  Your circumstance is now improved because even though you do not have an attorney to personally represent you in court, you now can have an experienced attorney:

• Who can provide you guidance and instruction on what to expect in court including coaching and direction on court procedures, how to file documents, present evidence, argue in court, and represent oneself in pro per;
• Who teaches you how to comport yourself before the judge;
• Who can draft or review pleadings, motions, and other court documents as needed to be filed with the court;
• Who can assist you with written communications with opposing party or counsel;
• Who can evaluate potential settlement options and advise on negotiation strategies;
• Who can perform limited legal research on issues directly related to the drafted documents or coaching topics.

So there is no misunderstanding, this is a limited scope engagement, meaning Attorney will not:

• Appear in court on Client’s behalf;
• Sign or file any documents with the court;
• Conduct discovery (e.g., depositions, interrogatories) unless added via amendment;
• Handle appeals, enforcement actions, or any post-judgment matters;
• Communicate with opposing parties, counsel, or the court on Client’s behalf;
• Guarantee any outcome or success or assume responsibility for the entire Matter;
• Prepay any cost related to the Matter.

However, under this plan, no large, up-front retainer is required to be paid and no “eye-opening” invoices are sent to you every month.  There are no hidden costs.  Each assignment agreed to will be paid with a pre-agreed flat fee.  You know beforehand in writing what service you are agreeing to and the amount.

Client will remain in pro per and handle all other aspects of the case, though he/she will have significant support to help through the process where no support was available before.

Each service to be provided (i.e. drafting any pleading, such as a petition, response, motion, reply etc), preparing communications with opposing party/counsel, or preparation/coaching for appearing in court will be by flat fee previously agreed to.  There will not be any hidden surprises.

Prepaying all services by flat fee can make legal services more affordable for more people.  The advanced payment flat fees will be estimated on an hourly rate substantially less than the predominant rates of $300-$500/hour. 

This “pay as you go” concept allows the party to more closely budget limited funds that are needed for litigation and can stretch their dollars as far as possible.