Disclaimer

DISCLAIMER

Public Documents Plus is not a law firm nor are staff members who prepare the legal documents attorneys nor are they acting as your attorney. Most significantly, staff members do not practice law and do not give legal advice.
This site is intended to be an information based website offering self-help service. You are representing yourself in all legal matters you undertake through Public Documents Plus. The services of Public Documents Plus, includes the typing of your information onto legal forms, review of your answers for completeness, spelling and grammar, as well as consistency of names, addresses and the like. At no time do we review your answers for legal sufficiency, draw legal conclusions, provide legal advice or apply the law to the facts of your particular situation. If you need legal advice for your specific problem, or if your specific problem is too complex to be addressed by our tools, you should consult a licensed attorney in your area.

Furthermore, the legal information on this site is not legal advice and is not guaranteed to be correct, complete or up-to-date. Public Documents Plus cannot guarantee that all the information on the site is completely current.
This site and some of the articles on this site contain links to other resources and businesses on the Internet. Those links are provided as citations and aids to help you identify and locate other Internet resources that may be of interest, and are not intended to state or imply that Public Document Plus sponsors, is affiliated or associated with what may be reflected in the links.
Public Documents Plus is not responsible for any loss, injury, claim, liability, or damage related to your use of this site or any site linked to this site, whether from errors or omissions in the content of our site or any other linked sites, from the site being down or from any other use of the site. In short, your use of the site is at your own risk.

What is a Legal Document Assistant? (LDA)

Legal Document Assistants were once commonly known as Independent Paralegals. However, as of January 1st, 2000, only those Paralegals working directly for attorneys may now be referred to as Paralegals. Those formerly known as Independent Paralegals are now officially known as Legal Document Assistants (LDA's). ((B&PC Section 6400), California SB 1418). LDA's have the same educational background as a paralegal and are REQUIRED by law to be registered and bonded in the county in which they have their principal place of business.
Please Note: A Legal Document Assistant is NOT a Lawyer.

By law, they cannot give you legal advice or represent you in the courts in any matter. If you need to consult with an attorney, your LDA will be able to provide you with a referral.

If a person is acting as an LDA but is not registered and bonded, then they are operating illegally in California. The Bond is for your protection!
What does an LDA do?
An LDA is an experienced professional who is authorized to prepare legal documents for a client, but only at the direction of the client. In other words, an LDA is there to assist the "self-help" client handle their own legal matters without the cost of an attorney.

Since even the best legal, self-help books can be confusing and overwhelming, your LDA can provide invaluable assistance with routine legal tasks, such as typing and filing the paperwork for uncontested divorces, bankruptcies, wills, and many other types of documents.
Again, because an LDA is forbidden to practice law of any sort, they cannot make suggestions as to what the client needs done for a particular matter, or what forms that the client must file with the state or the other party to the action.

What is the advantage of hiring an LDA?

LDA's provide a low-cost alterative to hiring an attorney for routine paperwork.
In many cases, one visit will usually be sufficient for you to be able to handle most matters.
LDAs will provide you with top-quality legal typing assistance.

Do you need an LDA?

If you do not know your legal rights in a situation, chances are highly likely that you may need to see an attorney.
If you already have decided on a course of action, but are uncertain about how to fill out the paperwork, you may need your own personal LDA.
If you recently bought a legal self-help book, an LDA may be especially helpful in helping you finish and file your legal paperwork.