Legal Document Assistants (LDA) are licensed and bonded professionals who can assist individuals who are representing themselves in legal matters by ensuring that their papers are properly prepared, filed, and served. Legal Document Assistants were once commonly known as Independent Paralegals. However, as of January 1st, 2000, only those persons working directly for attorneys may now be referred to as Paralegals. Those formerly known as Independent Paralegals are now officially known as Legal Document Assistants.
To qualify as a Legal Document Assistant, a person must:
- Register with each County in which they work
- Post a $25,000 Bond
- Establish that he or she has a minimum level of experience and/or education
LDAs are prohibited from practicing law. LDAs are not attorneys and cannot provide legal advice or represent a client in court. We can explain your options, but we cannot make suggestions about which option you should choose.
As LDAs, we can tell you what you could do, not what you should do.