Legal Coaching

Legal Coaching is a new form of legal assistance. It is also referred to as unbundled family law services or a limited scope retainer. Legal Coaching means you will represent yourself in all your dealings, and your lawyer works behind the scenes to assist you with drafting legal documents, research or providing you with advice. Your lawyer is there to empower you, but at the end of the day, you will be speaking for yourself should you have to attend any mediations, negotiations, or appear in court.

 

Legal Coaching is an affordable way to get legal help. We work hard to ensure we keep costs down for our clients, but hiring us full time can still be expensive and not everyone is able or wants to make those financial commitments. Legal coaching is all about letting you decide when and how you use a family law lawyer and controlling the legal costs.

 

The downside of Legal Coaching is that you have to be prepared to be the singer in the spotlight. When we are your lawyer, we take the questions and we answer for the work we present to the Court. When we are your coach, helping from the sideline, you need to be ready to do it. In your meeting, we can help you figure out if this is right for you or not.

 

What can R&R Legal Group do for you? We have prepared three packages for you to consider.

 

Consultation

 

This is our catchall offering. In this basket, you get 10 hours of our time, to be used within three months of signing of the retainer agreement, which is the contract in which we agree to work for you. You can meet with us in person, by video, by phone or email. We will provide you with the answers to the questions you bring to her, and only review the aspects of your family’s situation on which you require advice.

 

What happens if you simply enjoy our assistance too much and you have gotten to the end of the 10 hours but there is more to ask? Well, you can always sign for another 10 hours. We are willing, as long as we are available, to assist you as much as we can.

 

Preparation for Mediation

 

As of 2021, it is mandatory in Saskatchewan for every person to attend a mediation session before they can appear in court. There are exceptions, look to this blog post for more details). Mediation can often quickly and inexpensively bring your family issues to a conclusion. Mediation is essentially negotiation that is run by a person specially trained to assist the parties (you and your spouse/partner) discuss your issues and try to come to find answers. Sometimes people just need some help being heard or listened to, and a mediator is trained to make that happen. 

 

So how can we help? You need to know which issues require negotiation in order to be ready to come to a conclusion. For example, when you go buy a car, you want to enter that lot (truly a modern battlefield) ready to discuss car values because you have already done your research. And even after having spent those countless evenings reviewing Auto Trader and other car websites, you may still second guess yourself about whether or not you got a good deal. What would that same purchase be like if you didn’t even know what kind of car you were looking at? That would be like going to a family law mediation without knowing about your rights, responsibilities and the top and bottom of your negotiation range. Through the legal coaching, we can help review with you the law, your specific facts, and our opinion as to what your options are.

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Preparation for Trial

 

Most family law cases in Saskatchewan settle before trial. Trials can be very expensive and cost you anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000, depending on the length and complexity of your case. Trials are a big commitment, emotional and financial. There are few people who could look at $100,000 in costs and say “whatever.” 

 

In this legal coaching package, we offer you a comprehensive review of your case to date, examines the documents on your Court file, and advises you on how to represent yourself at trial. How do you question a witness? What is an Exhibit? How do I object? With this package, we will fully prepare you to attend and succeed at trial.

 

You will see that there is a range on the cost, which reflects the range of complexity and length that trials can be. After your initial meeting, we will be able to give you an exact flat fee for our assistance. 

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What is the cost of Legal Coaching?

 

In typical family law matters, a lawyer requests a retainer from a client before they begin any work on the file. The cost of Legal Coaching is much more flexible, as you get to determine how much you want to spend on legal fees. R&R Legal Group can work with you to determine a plan that fits your situation and your budget. Some examples of costs for Legal Coaching are below.