What are they?
An articling student is a law school graduate who first has to work for a year under the supervision of a senior lawyer. Articling is similar to an apprenticeship. If the student successfully completes their articles they are then admitted to the Law Society of Alberta and can practice as a lawyer. Since the student is not yet a lawyer, the cost of hiring an articling student is much lower than hiring senior counsel, or even a junior lawyer! The best part about hiring an articling student is that a senior lawyer must review all work completed by the student. Therefore when hiring an articling student its like getting a senior lawyer at a discounted rate.

How can this help me?
Hiring an articling student is one way to keep costs low during your family matter while knowing that all work done by the student will still be monitored and reviewed by a senior lawyer.

What is the downside?
Students article for one year. If your matter takes longer than one year, your file may change many hands.Waiting for a senior lawyer to review work can create slower turn around times to complete work. The smoothest way to get through your legal matter is to have one lawyer on a full retainer. Resolve Legal Group recognizes that this may be difficult for individuals to achieve; this is why Resolve Legal Group has created opportunities for clients to have access to justice through our specialized programs. Please note that at times clients can feel frustrated when carrying the bulk of the work themselves. If you are having difficulty taking on the bulk of the responsibility as a self-represented litigant, the cost effective nature of these alternative service programs can end up not as cost-effective as a full retainer. This is particularly true for complex files or when a client is not willing or not able to adhere to deadlines, or be a diligently organized self-starter. This may occur where clients have high work or family demands that prevent them from attending to their own matters on a timely basis.

When choosing any one of these alternative service programs, it is very important that individuals make an honest self-assessment as to their abilities to work within one of these alternative service delivery models effectively before commencing.

What are they?
A limited scope retainer exists where a lawyer is retained for a part, but not all of your matter. The retainer may be for specific things such as:

• Appearing in court on your behalf;
• Drafting and/or vetting documents;
• Corresponding with the Opposing Party or Opposing Counsel on your behalf; and more!

How can this help me?
You may choose to hire a lawyer on a limited scope retainer when you would like to self-represent in your matter to keep costs low but are still looking for assistance on some aspects of your matter. This allows you to save money throughout your legal matter while having the assistance of a lawyer where needed – the best of both worlds!

What is the downside?
Work completed on a Limited Scope Retainer is not as smooth as it would be if the lawyer was handling all aspects of your matter from start to finish on a full retainer. On a Limited Scope Retainer, more time is spent coordinating between yourself and your lawyer than would be if you were on a full retainer. Excellent communication and a good working relationship with your lawyer is required to help this process run smoothly.

The smoothest way to get through your legal matter is to have one lawyer on a full retainer. Resolve Legal Group recognizes that this may be difficult for individuals to achieve; this is why Resolve Legal Group has created opportunities for clients to have access to justice through our specialized programs. Please note that at times clients can feel frustrated when carrying the bulk of the work themselves. If you are having difficulty taking on the bulk of the responsibility as a self-represented litigant, the cost effective nature of these alternative service programs can end up not as cost-effective as a full retainer. This is particularly true for complex files or when a client is not willing or not able to adhere to deadlines, or be a diligently organized self-starter. This may occur where clients have high work or family demands that prevent them from attending to their own matters on a timely basis. When choosing any one of these alternative service programs, it is very important that individuals make an honest self-assessment as to their abilities to work within one of these alternative service delivery models effectively before commencing.

What are they?
Come in to Resolve Legal Group and get the advice of a lawyer without having to sign a retainer or purchase a membership. The lawyer will not act on your behalf, but will assist with legal strategy, independent legal advice, vetting documents, offering second opinions and more!

You will receive legal information and assistance to help you self-represent on your matter, but this assistance is one-on-one so that your matter is still confidential. You will obtain one-on-one legal advice in addition to legal information

How can this help me?
Throughout your legal matter, you may have questions yourself, or come across situations where you need a second legal opinion. This option allows you to retain control of your matter while having your questions answered by a lawyer.

What is the downside?
You are still acting as a self-represented litigant with a la carte support from an available lawyer from Resolve Legal Group.

You may not be able to have one consistent lawyer throughout your matter.

The smoothest way to get through your legal matter is to have one lawyer on a full retainer. Resolve Legal Group recognizes that this may be difficult for individuals to achieve; this is why Resolve Legal Group has created opportunities for clients to have access to justice through our specialized programs. Please note that at times clients can feel frustrated when carrying the bulk of the work themselves. If you are having difficulty taking on the bulk of the responsibility as a self-represented litigant, the cost effective nature of these alternative service programs can end up not as cost-effective as a full retainer. This is particularly true for complex files or when a client is not willing or not able to adhere to deadlines, or be a diligently organized self-starter. This may occur where clients have high work or family demands that prevent them from attending to their own matters on a timely basis. When choosing any one of these alternative service programs, it is very important that individuals make an honest self-assessment as to their abilities to work within one of these alternative service delivery models effectively before commencing.

What is it?
We have a partnership with an outsourced paralegal service as well as offering paralegal services within the firm that are reviewed by a lawyer before going out to the client. See below.

Note: within this program, services are not covered by any lawyers’ insurance.

How can this help me?
This is a great option for people who want a la carte legal advice without the associated bill. You can have a Paralegal at Resolve Legal Group review your court documents to ensure compliance with the Alberta Rules of Court, that nothing is missed, and your documents do not get rejected by the court.

The smoothest way to get through your legal matter is to have one lawyer on a full retainer. Resolve Legal Group recognizes that this may be difficult for individuals to achieve; this is why Resolve Legal Group has created opportunities for clients to have access to justice through our specialized programs. Please note that at times clients can feel frustrated when carrying the bulk of the work themselves. If you are having difficulty taking on the bulk of the responsibility as a self-represented litigant the cost effective nature of these programs can end up not as cost-effective as a full retainer if a client is not willing or not able to adhere to deadlines, be a self-starter, is diligently organized and work and communicate well with their lawyer. This is particularly true where clients have high work or family demands that prevent them from attending to their own matters on a timely basis. When choosing any one of these services it is very important that individuals make an honest self-assessment as to their abilities to work within one of these service delivery models effectively before commencing.