Do I Hire a Paralegal or An Attorney for My Divorce?

When it comes down to it, divorce is always a costly endeavour – whether it cost you your family, your time or your money. However, the divorce attorneys at Reinfeld & Cabrera, P.A. want to help you find the least taxing and most cost effective path through this process. With this in mind, many people have asked – “do I hire a paralegal or an attorney for my divorce?” While we do not profess to have all the answers, we do have some information which might help you to decide what is best for your unique case.

Firstly, you may be wondering what the difference is between a paralegal and a divorce attorney. The Florida Bar defines a paralegal as a person with education, training, or work experience, who works under the direction and supervision of a member of The Florida Bar and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a member of The Florida Bar is responsible. This means that while a paralegal may have extensive knowledge of divorce law and can help you fill out divorce forms, they are prohibited from providing legal advice or representing a client in court. On the other hand, a divorce attorney is able to provide legal counsel as well as represent a client in court if needs be.

When it comes to divorce many may say that using a paralegal instead of a divorce attorney will save you time and money. This may be the case is your divorce is simple and uncontested or if the chances for a disagreement are slim to none. However, as every divorce is different and each comes with its own unique set of challenges, hiring a divorce attorney early on in the process can save you the hassle and cost of any possible difficulties needing a court settlement. It is not often that the emotional and contentious experience of a divorce will be easily settled without any legal advice needed.

It is also important to remember that in Florida an independent paralegal does not necessarily require any state recognised qualifications to practice. This could result in a client paying for work which is sub-standard or even non-existent. To avoid this, it is advisable to use either a qualified paralegal or, more reliably, a Florida divorce attorney.

All in all, if you are pursuing a divorce it is advisable to have the comfort and safety of an experienced divorce attorney such as the attorneys at Reinfeld & Cabrera.