What Is A Legal Paraprofessional? (LP)

Why Have I Never Heard of an LP Before?

• The LP license is a newly created license that provides individuals in Arizona access to more affordable legal services when dealing with common legal issues like divorce.  The first LP exam was administered in Arizona in 2021.  Chelsea C.E. Woodworth, of Chelsea Legal PLC, was one of the very first individuals to receive an LP license in the United States.  

What Is the Benefit of Hiring an LP vs. an Attorney?

• LPs are highly skilled individuals that can offer a wide range of legal services, including providing you with legal advice and representing you in Court, which some restrictions (discussed below).  Typically, LPs are more affordable than hiring an attorney.  An LP can be licensed in administrative law, criminal, limited jurisdiction civil law, family law, and juvenile law.  LPs do not require attorney supervision and can work independently.      

  Chelsea was the first LP to earn a dual license in family law and limited jurisdiction law and the first individual to earn a license in limited jurisdiction civil law.    

What Is the Benefit of Hiring an LP vs. a Legal Document Preparer/Paralegal?

• Certified Legal Documents Preparers (AZCLDP) are not allowed to provide legal advice under any circumstances.  An AZCLDP must prepare documents based on their client's input/direction only, even if their client is incorrect.  Paralegals are not allowed to provide legal advice and they cannot provide their services independently to the general public.  Paralegals can only operate under the supervision of an attorney.

  An LP can provide you with legal advice, opinions, recommendations, and strategies, and represent you in Court as long as the matter falls within the scope of their license, all without the supervision of an attorney.   

What Are the LP License Restrictions?

• Regarding Family Law, Chelsea can handle the majority of issues in Family Court, with the exception of Appeals, preparing Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs), and division of a formal business or commercial property.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. 

  Regarding Limited Jurisdiction Civil Matters, Chelsea can assist you with your civil matter as long as it falls within the jurisdiction of an Arizona Justice Court or Municipal Court.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.       

Why Hire Chelsea Legal PLC?

• Chelsea C.E. Woodworth was not only one of the first LPs in the United States, but she also possess significantly more education and experience than required to obtain an LP license.  Chelsea Legal PLC does not believe that one-size-fits-all when it comes to your legal issue.  We offer various types of legal services to fit our client's individual needs and budgets.

  Unlike most law firms, we do not believe that a legal "team" is necessary to handle your matter.  When you contact our office, you will be speaking with Chelsea directly.  Your matter will not be passed off to other individuals who are unfamiliar with your case, which in turn, makes the services we provide more efficient and overall less costly than traditional law firms.  

Dealing with a legal matter can be a source of great stress.  At Chelsea Legal PLC, our primary objective is to relieve our clients of this burden by handling their matters with efficiency and effectiveness.