Beside the Bar Legal Coaching
Beside the Bar Legal Coaching helps low to middle income earners who are representing themselves in a family law matter. We provide self-represented litigants with current information, guidance, support, skills-building, strategic planning and other legal assistance necessary to resolve their family law legal problem. It is an affordable option to hiring a full-representation law firm.
The self-represented litigant retains ultimate control and responsibility of their case while the legal coach, from the background, assists, supports and empowers the self-represented litigant to confidently advance their case.
Who We Are
Michelle is a certified legal coach with 28 years of "boots on the ground" legal experience, primarily working as a family law paralegal with senior and junior counsel in family bar in British Columbia. She has the skills and experience necessary to assist self-represented litigants managing their own family law issues. In addition to her professional experience, Michelle uniquely understands the personal stress, financial and emotional costs of moving her own family law dispute through the Supreme Court of British Columbia, ultimately obtaining a successful result in the BC Court of Appeal.
As a Certified Legal Coach and a member of the Legal Coaches Association, Michelle assists her clients in setting reasonable goals and advancing their family law matter with a results-centered approach. The self-represented client retains ultimate control and responsibility of their case while she, from the background, coaches her clients to confidently advance their case. She will help you understand the complex legal process by guiding you to access resources such as court forms and other current legal information, gather and prepare the relevant evidence necessary to advance and resolve your family law legal problem and, if necessary, support you through the complicated court and/or other legal processes.
Michelle aims to empower self-represented litigants to confidently navigate the complex legal process in a manageable format, helping them achieve results with their family law problem in a cost-effective and timely manner. She will assist in setting reasonable goals and advancing the legal problem with a results-centered approach.
Beside the Bar offers a free 30-minute consultation. In this 30-minute session, Michelle will attentively listen to your legal issue, answer your questions and explain further what you may expect in the legal coaching process. Together we will assess whether legal coaching is right for you and your family law legal problem.
If you would like to discuss whether Beside the Bar is the right fit for you, please Contact Us: michelle@besidethebar.ca
Services Offered
- Parenting: Understand how to advocate for your child’s best interests and what to expect during court proceedings.
- Child Support: Gain insights into how child support is calculated and what to do if payments are delayed or unpaid.
- Handling Legal Documents: Get practical advice on how to manage important legal documents, from birth certificates to court orders, ensuring that you have everything in order when it matters most.
- Affordable Legal Assistance: Find out how to access low-cost legal services that can make a significant difference when you’re facing legal challenges
- Divorce: Obtain step-by-step guidance and support when applying for an uncontested divorce