What is legal coaching and is it right for you?

As you prepare for your separation, you will have inevitably turned to the internet for information about parenting matters after separation, child support, spousal support, and asset, debt, and pension division. If you’ve done that, you’re likely feeling a bit overwhelmed by the vast amount information available.

What does it all mean? How do you use this information for your benefit?

Many families today are choosing to separate and not use lawyers to assist them through the process. People do not want to add the negativity of having lawyers involved in what is already a very difficult and emotional process. They also don’t want to incur the cost for what they see as a relatively straightforward matter. Family law mediation is often a cost-effective method of formalizing the details of separation but sometimes one person prefers not to participate in mediation.

Unfortunately, not seeking legal assistance can leave you and the other party uniformed about potential advantageous ways to resolve your matter and advocate for yourself in a negotiation.

Is there a way to get legal assistance with separation but not include the lawyers or a family law mediator?

In short, yes. It goes by a few different names – legal coaching, unbundled legal services, summary advice, etc. I prefer the term “legal coaching”.

Legal coaching is a legal service provided by lawyers, but the lawyers do not get involved directly with resolving the matter. In essence the lawyer works as a consultant for their client, but does not step out in front and speak for their client.

A legal coach will tell you how all that legal information you’ve found applies to you and your case. They can advise you about what you should do and how you should do it. They can advise you on strategy, how to protect yourself, and how to work towards achieving your goals.

When you go to a legal coach, you’re accessing their expertise in the law, but also their experience with how various strategies, approaches, and techniques have worked in hundreds of cases before yours and how that has played out. In short – it’s a short cut to a more effective negotiation.

This is not information you can get on the internet or from Chat GPT. It’s knowledge of how people work, how families work, knowledge of different personalities – what works and what doesn’t- combined with knowledge of what is fair, the law and the legal system.

If you are newly separated, seeking advice from a legal coach is a good place to start informing yourself about the challenges you may be facing and to start putting together a plan about how to overcome them. 

There are of course situations where a legal coach may not be sufficient support, if traditional full representation is available.

Ideally, if it is within the financial means of the parties, then in situations where:

·         there is physical intimate partner violence,

·         the parties cannot speak directly to each other,

·         one party has a significant capacity issue,

·         there is limited time to secure a resolution, or

·         there is a significant power imbalance in the relationship,

it would be better to access full traditional legal representation.

Laurel Dietz is a family lawyer and the owner of Alinea Legal Coaching and has been providing legal coaching services since 2016.