I’m not an attorney. Can I assist a pro se party draft documents?

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I’m not an attorney. Can I assist a pro se party draft documents?

My son is going though a divorce and can not afford an attorney. I worked for a
family law attorney as a legal assistant for 12 years, but am no longer working
for him and have not worked in a law office for over 4 years. Is there any law
that prevents me from drafting/filing documents for my son who is is listed as
pro se?

Asked on September 28, 2017 under Family Law, Illinois

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 6 years ago | Contributor

Yes, the laws barring non-lawyers from practing law. You can help with copyediting/proofing; you can help with pull together the purely factual recitation; but you cannot do anything that involves presenting legal arguments, citing the law or cases, or advocating a legal position.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

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