Creating Strategies For The Self-Represented

Many people cannot afford to hire a family law specialist to represent them and choose to self-represent. Attorney Joseph Langlois has witnessed for years the plight of individuals who cannot afford to hire a family law specialist be pushed and pulled through the family law court system to their economic, social and emotional detriment. To help these litigants develop an effective legal strategy, Mr. Langlois is now offering his expertise and legal advice to self-represented parties on a limited-scope basis on an as-needed or hourly basis.

The courts have reported that as many as 80 percent of litigants in family law court are self-represented. The state of California-funded Family Law Facilitator’s Office and other self-help centers can help self-represented parties understand the procedures required to get through the family law court system. But they cannot give legal advice nor help self-represented parties develop effective legal strategies for handling the substantive issues they may be facing in their family law cases. Family law judges and clerks are also unable to give legal advice to litigants in family law court. And with the high volume of family law cases in each courtroom, court personnel are unable to offer any real help to self-represented parties.

Mr. Langlois has extensive experience providing self-represented parties with mediation and settlement consultation services, helping them to completely and satisfactorily resolve their divorces and post-divorce disputes often without any litigation expense.

He is experienced in providing expert analysis, recommendations and advice on an as-needed hourly basis to individuals in connection with cohabitation, marriage, separation and divorce planning. He is often consulted by represented parties looking for a second opinion from a reputable family law specialist or who are dissatisfied with the service they have been receiving from their current or prior attorneys.

Langlois Family Law has both the expertise and experience to assist self-represented parties in handling limited portions of their family law cases, such as a particular court hearing or a trial, even when a party cannot afford full representation for an entire case.