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Richard Granat
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Richard Granat
Granat Legal Services, P.C.
9141 Reisterstown Road
Suite 43
Owings Mills, MD 21117-4503
Phone: (301) 760-7961 | Fax: (561) 828-5812
http://www.mdfamilylawyer.com
http://www.dcdivorceonline.com
LAW THAT YOU CAN AFFORD
Legal Topic
Family Law
Preferred New Clients
We only accept clients who are willing to represent themselves in uncontested divorce actions and other family law matters. We do not represent you in court or in conflicted cases.
Sub-Categories
Family Law
- Name Changes
- Restraining Orders
- Adoptions
- Child Support
- Custody
- Visitation
- Civil Unions
- Common Law Marriage
- Domestic Partnerships
- Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender Rights
- Living Together/Cohabitation
- Marriage
- Power of Attorney
- Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements
- Guardianships & Conservatorships
- Nursing Homes
- Powers of Attorney
- Medicaid & Medicare Planning
- Advanced Health Care Directive
- Healthcare Power of Attorney
- Healthcare Proxy
- Tax Planning
- Grandparent Rights
Legal Topic
Divorce
Preferred New Clients
We only accept clients who are willing to represent themselves in uncontested divorce actions and other family law matters. We do not represent you in court or in conflicted cases.
Sub-Categories
Divorce
- Alimony/Palimony/Spousal Support
- Annulment
- Child Support
- Custody/Visitation Rights
- Delinquent Support Payments
- Division of Property
- Restraining Orders
- Uncontested Divorce
Bar Admissions
DC, Oct 1968
Bar Number: 964965
MD, Dec 1966
Bar Number: 6610010025
Specialty Certifications
N/A.
Other Court Admissions
All Maryland Courts; District of Columbia Superior Court.
Association Memberships
Maryland State Bar Association
Maryland State Bar Association: Section of Family and Juvenile Law and Section of Solo and Small Firm Practice.
District of Columbia Bar Association
American Bar Association
- Section on Family Law
- Section on Alternative Dispute Settlement
- Section on Law Practice Management
Continuing Education
I attend continuing education courses regularly in family law offered by the Maryland and District of Columbia Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
Papers and Publications
Book: How to Do Your Own Divorce in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia.
How to Do Your Own Divorce in Maryland.
Blog: Law That You Can Afford
Blog: ELawyering
Example Cases
Our typical case is a couple who can resolve their issues either directly, or with mediation. Once all issues in a divorce case are resolved, the parties can file their own documents as they have an uncontested divorce. Rather then spending thousands of dollars in legal fees, the couple spends only a few hundred. As a result the couple has more resources to deal with the emotional and financial consequences of divorce. This is particularly true if they have children.
Education
Degree:
B.A. in Philosophy
School:
Lehigh University
City:
Bethlehem
State:
PA
Year:
1962
Honors:
Graduated with Honors
Degree:
J.D.
School:
Columbia School of Law, Columbia University
City:
New York
State:
NY
Year:
1965
Honors:
Harlen Fiske Stone Scholar
Focus and Accomplishments:
Research Assistant to Professor Marvin E. Frankel
Degree:
M.S. on Organizational Development and Technology
School:
University of Pennsylvania
City:
Philadelphia
State:
PA
Year:
1990
Honors:
Graduated with Honors
Number of Attorneys
2
State Licensed In
Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Firm Focus and History
We were established in 1998 as Maryland's first virtual law firm in divorce and family law matters. We recently expanded our activity to the District of Columbia.
Our focus is no-fault divorce, marital separation agreements, Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs), plus wills, powers of attorney and other common family law matters all delivered over the Internet..
• No hourly fees -- every service at a fixed price.
• Reliable and fast turnaround using Internet technology.
• Legal Advice + Legal Forms = A Complete Legal Service.
• Low in Cost - Slightly more than you pay a legal document preparation company - which offers little value for the price you are paying.
• All of the protections afforded by dealing with a licensed attorney - confidentiality and security; accountability; conflicts of interest checks; and regulated by the Maryland and District of Columbia Bars.
There was a time when you only had two choices to get a divorce in Maryland:
(1) retain a full-service lawyer and pay considerable, up-front costs and hourly fees, plus engage in a conflict-oriented process that eats up your dollars and tears you apart emotionally, or
(2) purchase forms from a non-lawyer document preparation or legal forms company, such as www.legalzoom.com, and pray that you are doing the right thing.
Now there is a third way. We offer a new way for you to get a divorce. It involves no conflict and no expensive legal fees -- represent yourself in a no-fault divorce, but with lawyer assistance, plus all of our services are delivered over the Internet for a fixed price.
We are the law firm that provides legal services that you can afford and at your convenience.
We assist you throughout the divorce process and offer you the following services over the Internet:
• preparation of your state-specific Maryland or District of Columbia Divorce and/or Marital Separation Agreement forms and other related documents;
• legal advice from a licensed Maryland and District of Columbia family law attorney included in one flat fee; and
• guidance on how to represent yourself in court, and how to avoid any crucial mistakes.
Previous Employment Summary
• the Coordinator of a pro se project on self-help representation in family law matters at the University of Maryland Law School Clinical Program. See research on pro se representation at http://www.pro-selaw.org. This is where I learned about the power of self-help, and I maintain this site for others who are interested in this important movement
• the Founder of the People's Law Library of Maryland. This was the first state-wide fee legal information source for consumers. This project taught me about the power of the Web to change people's lives through the provision of legal information.
Dean and President, Philadelphia Institute for Paralegal Training - the nation's first school of paralegal training.
Director, Center for Legal Studies, Antioch School of Law, - the nation's first clinical law school.
Counsel, National Legal Services Program, U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity.
Activities and Awards
Member of the Civil Justice Network in Baltimore, Maryland.
2005 Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access - American Bar Association Meritorious Recognition Award
What is your opinion regarding clients educating themselves on legal issues?
The focus of our law firm is helping people to help themselves. We believe that clients are capable of educating themselves on the issues involved in a divorce, and that many couples can resolve their outstanding issues with the correct legal information and advice. One of my passions is figuring out how to help people divorce peacefully and get on with their lives, without spending thousands of dollars on legal fees. If you have children, the money is better spent on your children rather than on legal fees, if you can avoid it.
I am also intrigued by the potential of the Internet as a means to lower the cost of legal services and for demonstrating new ways to offer legal services. In 1998, during the early days of the Internet, I established Granat Legal Services, P.C., to demonstrate the concept of a law firm on the web, or a "virtual law firm". A virtual law firm is one which offers legal services in domestic relations matters at a price that people of moderate and middle income can afford.
Are you willing to review documents prepared by clients?
Document Review is one of core services. We are able to review documents prepared by clients quickly and affordably using our Internet-based technologies.
Are you willing to coach clients who want to represent themselves?
We provide court coaching services for a fixed price.
Why did you decide to be a lawyer?
I became a lawyer in order to help individuals who cannot afford legal representation to have their day in court. I am committed to the idea that there are many ways to solve one's legal problems and not all of them require the services of an attorney.
I am also very interested in the potential the role that paralegals can make in making legal services affordable, as I previously served as the President and Dean of the Philadelphia Institute for Paralegal Training, the nation's first paralegal educational institution. Many legal problems do not require the full services of an attorney.
What work experience and education helps you be a better lawyer?
I spent two years working as a supervisor to law students in the Maryland court system helping thousands of pro se litigants represent themselves in family law matters. This taught me that people want to resolve their conflicts and get on with their lives with a minimum of stress and expense. This experience taught me that there is a huge market of individuals who are not served well by the legal profession. Often people came to us after they had spent thousands of dollars in legal fees without getting the result that they needed and wanted.
Why did you decide on your primary area of practice?
I decided to focus my work in family law when I witnessed many of my friends getting divorced and spending from $5,000-$15,000 on legal fees when they could not afford it. In my opinion, it would be better if they used these funds to get on with their lives and to invest in their children's future, rather than pay excessive legal fees. In some cases, the cost of full service representation is justified. But in many cases, a satisfactory result for both parties can be achieved by spending much less. I wanted to create an alternative law practice that would make getting divorced affordable for those individuals capable of taking advantage of the approaches we offer.
What do you like best about your career?
A virtual law firm enables me to practice law the way I want to, wherever I want to, on terms that are fulfilling. The best part of my work is showing divorcing couple and a new way to get divorced and to get on with their lives without spending a fortune in legal fees.
Tell us about your law firm:
All of our clients deal directly with me, by email or telephone, and with our experienced paralegal team.
What are your strengths and style?
Our goal is to listen carefully to your concerns and help you to figure out how to secure a divorce for the least possible cost, without compromising your rights.
We are different from a typical family law firm because:
• We are virtual. We communicate with you solely over the Internet by e-mail and also by telephone. You don't have to give up time away from work to come to our offices. By providing our services "virtually", we are able to keep our fees low and make it convenient for you. You have the ability to send us an e-mail or complete our on-line questionnaires at a time that is convenient for YOU.
• We do not impose a costly retainer agreement or up-front fees: You buy only the legal services that you need - at a fixed price per task.
• You know what you will pay. No hourly rates or hidden charges - just a simple fixed and reasonable fee.
• We do not have fancy offices. We are a virtual law firm and provide our services via the Internet. We do not maintain expensive, physical offices. We conduct most of our business by e-mail and via the Internet; therefore, personal meetings are generally not needed. This gives us the ability to pass those savings on to our clients.
• We give you state-of-the-art document assembly technology. We use a world-class state-of-the art document automation technology called Rapidocs. This technology enables us to generate your documents more efficiently, thereby allowing us to pass savings on to you.
• We do not handle any litigation. This keeps our malpractice premiums low.
• We guide you through the process of representing yourself. We support the concept of "self-help law". Self-help law, also known as "pro-se" representation, is the process of filing your own documents and representing yourself in court. This is a very effective method of saving on legal fees because you do part of the work yourself. Our role is to prepare your documents for you; give you the legal advice you need; and prepare you to represent yourself so that you can avoid making any crucial mistakes. We will also advise you as to whether or not you are a candidate for the "Self-Help" approach.
• We recently received a Meritorious Recognition Award for the 2005 Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access in recognition of this web site's contribution to the advancement of alternative legal service delivery mechanisms.
We are different from a legal forms site because:
• We offer legal advice. If you go to a non-lawyer document preparation service, you will not receive advice and guidance from a licensed, practiced attorney.
• Lawyers must keep any communications between us confidential and are required to avoid any conflicts of interest. We use the SSL protocol which is the most secure method of transmitting information over the Internet. You can be assured that our services are trustworthy, private and secure.
• Attorneys must comply with all of the Professional Rules that apply to members of the Maryland and the District of Columbia Bar. The services that we provide are regulated by the Maryland and the District of Columbia Bars.
• A legal forms Web site offered by a non-law firm is not regulated the same way. If there is a problem, you may have no recourse.
Personal Interests:
I enjoy sailing my Catalina 18 in the Florida Keys; Visiting and hiking at our summer home in Jackson Hole; cooking; digital photography; Pilates; writing and publishing various blogs; and spending time with my family and wife of 45 years.
Office Manager/Assistant
Pam Andrews
Fax
(561) 828-5812
Office Hours
We are a virtual law firm
We are available by email 8:00 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Emergency After Hours
Yes
Foreign Languages
No.
Additional Offices
Washington, DC
1629 K Street, N.W.
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 609-9836
Fixed-Price Services and Fees
We only charge a fixed price for our services.
Here is a sample of our pricing for completely prepared forms with legal advice:
No-Fault Divorce Documents Based on a One or Two Year Separation with a Marital Settlement Agreement with Children $325.00
No-Fault Divorce Documents Based on a One or Two Year Separation with a Marital Settlement Agreement without Children $275.00
No-Fault Divorce Documents Based on a One or Two Year Separation without a Marital Settlement Agreement with Children $225.00
No-Fault Divorce Documents Based on a One or Two Year Separation without a Marital Settlement Agreement without Children $175.00
Pre-Marital Agreement $150.00
Maryland Settlement/Separation Agreement $125.00
Living Together Agreement (Share Property) $100.00
Name Change of a Minor $150.00
Name Change of an Adult $125.00
We charge the same prices in the District of Columbia.
Hourly Rates
We do not charge by the hour.
Free Initial Consultation?
We do not offer a free initial consultation. Instead we offer legal advice on-line for a fixed price of $25.00 per incident or question.
Typical Retainer
We do not take retainers as all of our services are what is known as "unbundled" legal services. We offer legal forms together with legal advice for a single fixed fee as listed above.
Nolo's Licensing Check
Attorneys have passed a licensing check. Nolo has confirmed that every member attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with the applicable bar associations upon joining the directory.
Directory lawyers are required to notify Nolo immediately if they become the subject of any disciplinary action by any bar association.
