Legal coaching services provide back-up for self-representing litigants when appearing in court. The legal coaching route can be used by anyone who wants to access professional legal advice for their case but cannot afford or does not want to pay for full-time legal costs. By accessing legal coaching, SRLs can become more effective self-advocates while saving on the costs of legal representation.
Some lawyers may argue that this is irresponsible, and that people should be encouraged to make full use of legal services, but the fact remains that many people simply cannot afford to engage the services of a solicitor to handle every aspect of their case, particularly when there is no guarantee they will win the case and be able to claim those costs back. The embedded PDF looks at how the courts handle the payment of legal expenses to those who have won their case through self-representation.
Dr Edgar Paltzer provides coaching in legal matters from his legal practice in Switzerland. By engaging the services of a legal coach, many people will find that they are able to access the knowledge and tools they require to represent themselves effectively in court without having to fork out many hours’ worth of legal fees in the process.
Unbundled Legal Guidance
Legal coaching is essentially a form of providing unbundled legal guidance to individuals who are planning on representing themselves in court. It can be accessed for cases that are going to be heard in court to help improve outcomes and reduce costs. The infographic summarises some of the main types of court and the types of cases they hear.
Legal coaching can help maximise the chances of success for those individuals who either cannot afford to employ a solicitor for the management of the entire case, or who prefer to save their resources.
A legal coach is able to help the individual understand every aspect of their case from behind the scenes, make an objective assessment, and put forward the best possible case once the time comes to appear in court. This includes strategic guidance through the court systems, a full assessment of the case, help writing and reviewing documents from the court, help with legal research, and tips for how to behave in court, among other things.
Flow of Information
One of the key differences in how legal coaching works when compared to traditional professional legal services is that the flow of information changes direction. With traditional services, the client asks questions and the lawyer answers them. With legal coaching this is reversed – the lawyer will ask pertinent questions of the client to facilitate their understanding of what their objectives are and how they will be best able to meet them in court.
Legal coaches will still provide advice where necessary, but the primary role of a legal coach is to help the client find their own answers. The types of questions a legal coach may ask include those that encourage the client to evaluate what aspects of the case are the most important to them, what their key objectives are, and what the consequences will be for them should the court not rule in their favour.
The coach can then help the client to work through the various scenarios so they are prepared for any outcome, while providing them with the skills, tools and knowledge that will best prepare them to negotiate the outcomes they desire.
The short video attachment explains the legal definition of negotiation.