When it comes to most legal matters, people
tend to believe they absolutely have to have an attorney, even if the
task at hand is something of a simpler nature, like submitting a certain
document to the court. By hiring an attorney, you are not only looking
at paying the cost of filing said document with the court, but you are
also paying for the attorney's time to draw up the document, fill it
out, submit it to the court, etc. Often, this can be an inflated price
since attorneys usually don't come cheap and have their own costs
associated with running their legal practice. For this reason, you may
be far better off (especially from a financial standpoint) handling
small legal matters, such as filing forms or documents with the court,
by yourself or pro se.
What Legal Forms Can You File Pro Se?
While you can file just about any document for yourself or pro se,
there are definitely many that are uncomplicated and fairly easy to
understand.
Power of Attorney is simply a legal document that enables one person
the power to act on another person's behalf. Power of Attorney legal
forms are easy to understand, and there actually isn't much in the way
of legal jargon that would confuse people. A standard power of attorney
form probably wouldn't take the average person more than five minutes to
complete.
You can find legal forms that you can file yourself for both a living
will and a last will and testament. Both of these documents are pretty
straightforward and allow the individual to be specific as to what they
mean to say, so that there aren't any gray areas. In the case of a
living will, particularly, you will almost always see the form itself
contain certain terminology that is clearly defined so that what is
meant is not up for debate.
Real Estate Rental or Lease Agreements
This is one form that you can find everywhere, and there are several
different variations per state or locale. While these documents are easy
to find and understand, you should make yourself aware of what is
required in your area, or try to get a state or city specific form to
make sure you are in compliance with local laws and legislation.
Forms regarding tenants needing to vacate the premises that are
easy for both parties to understand can also be found. While you may
have to file this form and pursue further legal action, having a form
documenting the steps you've taken will help speed the process along.
A bill of sale is simply written proof of a transfer of personal
property from one person to another. Any time you buy something of
significance from an individual, it is highly recommended that you
receive proof of the transaction, and that is where this comes in. You
may need proof down the road for a number of reasons, such as if the
item doesn't work, isn't what it was claimed to be or is stolen.
We've all loaned money to someone at one point or another, and almost
as many of us have ultimately gotten burned by that person not paying
it back when they said or at all. A promissory note is just a written
statement saying how much and when one person will repay another. By
getting this information in writing, you will definitely have a leg to
stand on should you need to take legal action.
Child travel consent is something that should be drawn up any time a
minor is going somewhere of any real distance with someone other than
their custodial parent or legal guardian. Having a document drawn up
with the appropriate contact information included within could save a
lot of major headaches from wrongful accusations.
More and more, there is a growing trend toward living with roommates,
whether it be to save money or to move into a nicer space that one
couldn't comfortably afford on their own. When living with a roommate,
you can only control yourself, however, so having a document stating
what is acceptable by all parties would be a great idea. Things you may
want to make sure are covered in the agreement would be damages, moving
out, amount of rent each is responsible for, etc.
While these and many other legal documents can be filed yourself (pro
se), make sure you know what you're getting into beforehand. Sometimes
an attorney is the best option, especially if you don't understand the
situation.
