Our Story: A Message From Richard S. Granat, J.D., - Founder of DirectLaw, Inc., and CEO of
Epoq, US, Inc.
 Who are we?
We are a legal information and legal forms that
has been operating on the Internet since 1998, almost from the beginning of the
time that the Web began to evolve into a new medium for communication,
entertainment., ecommerce, and information delivery. Since 1998 we have sold
thousands of intelligent legal documents through our family of legal
information web sites. Through this site we are
bringing our extensive collection of automated legal documents to the off-line
legal document preparation industry.
The Internet is
Changing the Way Legal Problems can be Solved.
Before there was an Internet it was very difficult to get access to law and legal resources. One had to consult with an attorney on even the simplest matters because only a lawyer knew how to do research in a law library, get access to legal materials and legal forms, and generally know how to find the law. The Internet has changed this monopoly of access to legal information forever.
Every day more courts publish their decisions on the Net. The impact of the availability of these resources has
made it easier than ever before for individuals to represent themselves in certain matters where simply having access to
legal information can resolve a legal problem.
The Growth in Self-Representation
Self-representation, also known as pro se
representation, is a growth industry and people are now doing for themselves
what lawyers previously charged fees for. The trend towards pro se
representation is rapidly accelerating. Look at some of the statistics:
National Center on State Courts study of 16 large urban trial courts in 1991-1992 – Domestic Relations cases:
- 71% of cases had at least one unrepresented party. In 18% both parties were pro se litigants. (Both parties had counsel in only 28% of cases.)
- The percentage of cases where both parties were pro se ranged from 1% in Dayton, OH to 47% in Oakland, CA
- The percentage of cases where both parties were represented ranged from 12% in Washington, DC to 47% in Des Moines, Iowa.
A California study of family matters from 1991 to 1995 found the following:
- One party appeared pro se in 2/3 of all domestic relations cases and in 40% of all child custody cases.
- California reports in 2001 that over 50% of the filings in custody and visitation are by pro se litigants. Urban courts report that approximately 80% of the new divorce filings are filed pro se.
A 1998 study by the Boston Bar association found that 66% of the cases in Probate and Family Court in Boston involved at least 1 pro se party.
(Pro se litigation study on tort and general civil litigation in 45 urban trial courts reported in the Justice Statistics – Special report April 1995).
- Average of 3% of all tort cases had at least one pro se party.
- In Chicago 30% (in 1994 and 25% in 1995) of all new general civil actions field for less than $10,000 of damages were filed pro se. Landlord tenant actions were filed pro se 28% of the time.
In Maricopa
County in Arizona the incidence of pro se litigants doubled in the period
between 1980 (24% of cases had 1 pro se litigant) and 1985 (where the rate had
reached 47%). By 1990, 88% of the cases involved at least one pro se litigant
and no lawyers were involved in more than half of the divorces.
Pro se representation is a time-honored American tradition and has been a
practice in our country since its founding. Because of the Internet, the concept
of self-representation has become even more powerful as non-lawyers educate
themselves in the simple procedures that need to be followed to resolve legal
problems that can solved by simple access to legal information. Providing legal
information to consumers is a new way to help them solve their legal problems.
Since 1998, we have used the Internet to help thousands of consumers solve their
legal problems at low cost. We know how how powerful the Internet can be because
we have built a profitable business selling our legal information services
and legal documents directly to consumers and small business.
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Does the "Pro Se" Process Work? Are Pro Se Litigants Generally Satisfied with the Outcome?
In 1993, the American Bar Association's Special Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services, focused its attention on self-represented litigants in the Maricopa County family court (Phoenix). The Committee's report (Sales, Self-Representation in Divorce Cases, ABA, 1993) disclosed that:
- Over 50% of the divorces were being handled without lawyers on either side and that only about 10% had lawyers on both sides.
- Widespread satisfaction with the results of self-representation by those engaging in it.
- No indication of any harm caused by representing oneself.
- Our research on hundreds of pro se litigants in family matters in Maryland also supports this conclusion. See report at the The Pro Se Law Center. A more recent study in December, 1997 in Massachusetts found that in 69 percent of 10,746 cases heard in that month, at least one of the parties appeared pro se. [See ABA Journal, January, 1999, p.28, "Turning Pro Se"].
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The Internet is Not For Everyone: We offer an Alternative to Consumers Who
Don't Have Access to the Internet.
Unfortunately the Internet is not accessible to every one.
There are still many individuals who do not have access to the Internet and who
would prefer to provide their information on a paper Questionnaire. These
consumer markets consist of low income individuals, the elderly, individuals who
have problems reading, individuals who have difficulty with the English
language, and individuals who simply don't want to access legal information using a
screen interface. Fortunately these individuals when aggregated together
represent a market of millions of potential customers.
Our DirectLaw™
document preparation service is designed to serve the needs of these
individuals. Powered by our own Rapidocs® technology we are able to offer our
services and legal form products at less cost than any one in this industry,
enabling you - the local entrepreneur - to build a profitable business in your
local community.
Self-Help is Not For Everyone
Representing oneself is not for everyone. In the divorce area for example, if you have complex assets; if there is an imbalance of power between you and your spouse; if there has been domestic violence within the relationship; or if you cannot communicate with each other as adults; then you need to be represented by counsel. If however, you can agree on all of your issues, and you enter into a Marital Separation Agreement with your spouse, you can easily file a no-fault divorce in
almost any state in America.
I am not "anti-lawyer." I was trained as an attorney at one of the finest law schools in the United States and appreciate the true value that counsel can bring to many situations. In situations where a person can afford legal fees, that today average $150.00
an hour, retention of personal counsel is almost always the best alternative. However, if your household income is under $100,000 a year, this can be a very expensive proposition.
My work in helping hundreds of pro se litigants manage their cases in relatively simple family law matters in the Maryland and District of Columbia court system convinced
way back in 1995, when the Internet was still its infancy, that with the correct legal information and legal forms, a person can represent him or her self, without incurring the high cost of legal fees.
Legal information alone cannot solve all legal problems, of course. Access to
legal information, and the effective use of legal information, works best when
the legal problem can be solved by simply inserting the correct legal
information into the correct field on a form.
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This is where you come in. As a "legal information
specialist" or what is becoming to be known as a "legal technician" you can
become a legal information provider without fear of violating the rules against
the unauthorized practice of law. As long as you don't provide legal advice, and
limit your self to the provision of legal information, you can provide a
valuable service at low cost and help people solve their legal problems.
There is a genuine need for alternatives to expensive legal
services. You can provide these alternatives to consumers and operate create a
profitable business in your community
at the same time. You can "do well" and "do good." That is a goal that many
lawyers wish for but the nature of their position and peer pressure prevents
them from charging less than the going rate.
You can be a force for change in
your community by enabling consumers who can afford access to the legal system,
to solve their legal problems at a price they can afford.
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