This means that if you are working on your own case and want advice on a particular document or issue, you can schedule an appointment with me just to work on that one question, without my working on the whole case. You could also hire me to write a letter or contact another attorney on your behalf. This way, you can combine the cost savings of doing your own legal work with the assurance of having a licensed attorney help you out.

So that’s all there is to it? Unfortunately not: there are some exceptions and rules.

First, even though I will not be working on your whole case, I will need to gather information from you as if I were going to work on your whole case. This is necessary so that I can provide you with the best advice possible and make sure you are not missing essential issues. While this may take additional time, you can use your free consultation for this purpose so there would still be little or no additional cost.

Second, I cannot help you provide legal services to someone else – the advice I give and documents I write must be for your own use. Even if you want to help your grandmother write a will and you’re not charging her a dime, I would have to work directly with your grandmother. Otherwise I would violate rules that prohibit assisting in the unauthorized practice of law. The rules do permit you to pay me fee for helping your grandmother so long as you do not try to control my work on her behalf.

Third, even though we agree to limit the scope of my work, I am legally obligated to inform you about options “that may result in adverse consequences if not considered.” The issue here is one of informed consent – you cannot let go of your right to full and complete representation unless you are aware of what you are missing.

Fourth, I cannot give up my independent judgment and just put my signature on something you’ve written. This isn’t a question of my discomfort about being replaced by self help legal centers and computer programs – I am legally obligated to exercise my independent judgment about your case. If I’ve had a chance to review what you wrote, and to make sure that you know the broader implications of what you’re doing, then I can make a professional judgment about that. It is not reasonable to expect to pay an attorney merely for the time it takes to sign something you wrote or a court form you filled in.

If you are interested in a limited scope representation, please contact me at 415.898.1653 or by e-mail.

That said, I am also a general practice attorney – I want to help families not just to change shape through birth, custody, divorce or guardianship, but to protect their assets through estate planning and civil litigation, and to protect their health by getting recovery for injuries or by ensuring they get full benefits from the government or from insurance companies.

For better or worse, families are the place where our early lives are shaped.  I believe in family as a fundamental unit of society and I am devoted to protecting it with my full capacity as a person and as an attorney.