Important notices

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I am not an attorney. I can only provide self help services at your specific direction.

My name is Michael J. Mendenhall. I am not an attorney. I cannot represent you in court, advise you about your legal rights or the law, or select legal forms for you. I am registered in Monterey County. My registration number is LDA3. My current registration expires 1/24/2026.

There has been and continues to be a lot of confusion with the terms "Paralegal" and "Legal Document Assistant" and to some extent "Legal Assistant." In California, a paralegal works in a law office for an attorney or is self-employed and works for attorneys on a freelance basis. A Legal Document Assistant works directly for the public without any attorney involvement. To the uninitiated, hiring someone other than an attorney sounds illegal. It is illegal for someone to practice law without a license. As it pertains to legal forms, if you know what you need done, you can hire a Legal Document Assistant to prepare and file the documents for you. If you are not sure of your legal rights or what you should do, you need to seek legal advice from an attorney who can advise you. Although I know many local attorneys, and they know me, I work primarily for consumers. If you need an attorney, I am happy to recommend several attorneys depending on what you need done. Attorneys have been referring clients to me for over 30 years, and I have been referring clients to attorneys during that time as well. Please note that I do not pay or accept referral fees under any circumstances. it is against California law for an attorney to share fees with a non-attorney.