A Legal Document Assistant( LDA) is an experienced professional who is authorized to prepare legal documents for a client, but only at the direction of the client. In other words, an LDA is there to assist the "self-help" client handle their own legal matters without the cost of an attorney.
Again, because a Legal Document Assistant (LDA) is forbidden to practice law of any sort, they cannot make suggestions as to what the client needs done for a particular matter, or what forms that the client must file with the state or the other party to the action. To register as a Legal Document Assistant, a person must:
- Register with each County in which they work
- Provide a bond in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000)
- Establish that he or she has a minimum level of experience and/or education
- Registrant must provide two identical 1” x 1” passport photos for identification cards
- Pay fee $182 for the registration and ID card. An additional fee of $15 shall be paid to the Marin County Clerk’s office for each additional card of identification.
A certificate of registration must be accompanied by a bond of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) which is executed by a corporate surety. The Marin County Clerk shall, upon filing the bond, deliver the bond forthwith to the Marin County Recorder for recording. The recording fee shall be paid by the registered Legal Document Assistant. The fee for recording the bond is $14.00 for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page by check made payable to the "Marin County Recorder".
If granted, a certificate of registration shall be effective for a period of two years. Thereafter, a registrant shall file an application for renewal of registration and pay the fee required by California Business and Professions Code Section 6404. The Marin County Clerk shall maintain a register of legal document assistants, assign a number to each legal document assistant, and issue an identification card to each one. Additional cards for employees of legal document assistants shall be issued upon the payment of $15 for each card. Upon renewal of registration, the same number shall be assigned, provided there is no lapse in the period of registration.
If you need additional information or have more questions, please contact us. Our office is located at the Marin County Civic Center, 3501 Civic Center Drive Room 234, San Rafael, CA. You can also contact a member of the County Clerk staff via phone at (415) 473-6152 or via email. Office hours are from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday (closed major holidays). However, due to processing time, licenses and applications are accepted for filing between 9:00 am and 3:30 pm.