About Epoq US, Inc. 

Who is Epoq, U.S., Inc. 
Can I really represent myself?  Why is this a" New Way" to solve my legal problem?
What if I need legal advice?
How do I contact  Epoq US, Inc.?

Q. Who is Epoq US, Inc. ?

A. Epoq US, Inc. is a legal information services organization that specializes in publishing self-help legal software tools on the Web, enabling citizens to access the law without incurring the high cost of legal fees.  Epoq UK, Inc. is the parent organization of Epoq US, Inc.,  and is the developer of the underlying technology that powers Epoq US, Inc., and its family of legal information web sites. 

We offer last will and testament forms, living wills, health care powers of attorney, and powers of attorney at a low cost.

Epoq, U.S. is not a law firm, but consists of lawyers with computer skills, paralegals, web marketing specialists, legal researchers, and computer professionals skilled in web site development.  We offer state-specific interactive legal documents and legal tools, enabling Americans across the country to access the law without incurring the high cost of legal fees.  We also license these digital applications to law firms to enable them to serve consumers at lower cost.

The founder and President of   Epoq US, Inc. is  Richard S. Granat, Esq.  Richard was previously the President and Dean of the Philadelphia Institute for Paralegal Training, the nation's first paralegal training school. Richard has been a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia Bar for over thirty years, and is the author of "How to Do Your Own Divorce in DC, Maryland, and Virginia," and "How to Do Your Divorce in Maryland" (1998). Richard is a member of the American Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association, and the District of Columbia Bar Association and Co-Chair of the ELawyering Task Force of the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association. 

Epoq, US, Inc. is the exclusive U.S. licensee of Rapidocs, a web-enabled document automation system published by Epoq Software, Ltd., based in London, UK.  Rapidocs powers the leading legal information web sites for consumers in the UK, including: http://www.desktoplawyer.co.uk  and http://www.lawasssure.co.uk,

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Q. Can I really represent myself?

A. We believe that with accurate and complete legal information a person of reasonable intelligence can represent themselves in a wide variety of routine and uncontested legal matters. This assumption is based on fact. In an evaluation study undertaken by the University of Maryland School of Law of a sample drawn from over 10,000 pro se litigants in family matters in Maryland Courts, seventy-four (74%) of the reported that they were satisfied with the result and would represent themselves again. Fifty-four (54%) percent reported that they decided to represent themselves because they thought a lawyer would be too expensive, and an additional eighteen (18%) reported that they represented themselves because they did not think that the problem was sufficiently complicated that a lawyer's services were required. These research findings are supported by similar research in other jurisdictions which are collected at the Pro Se Law Center.  

There are situations when you should not represent yourself and you should seek the assistance of counsel. These situations include where you have substantial assets; where you and your spouse cannot reach agreement on custody, visitation, or child support issues; and where your spouse is uncooperative or has been abusive. On the other hand, if your dispute is uncontested, securing a legal result may only be a matter of filing the correct legal documents in the correct order. If you can follow instructions, you can represent yourself as a pro se litigant.  National data supports this assertion. In states such as California and Florida, for example, 60-70% of all divorces are uncontested and the parties are not represented by counsel.

Representing yourself does not mean that you should not secure legal advice to assist you in this process. Many lawyers will offer limited legal advice and counsel for a fixed fee. This is called, "unbundled legal services" and does not involve retention of the lawyer for the entire matter, but just those aspects where you need the legal assistance of an attorney.

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Q. What if I need legal advice?

A. We do not provide legal advice from this web site. If you need legal advice, which is defined as applying the law to the specific facts of your case, we recommend an attorney in your state.

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