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The FALDP Docket -- December 2023
December 02, 2023

Florida Association of Legal Document Preparers

The FALDP Docket

Volume 13 Issue 12; December 2023


Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings,
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and above all ...

Stay up to date, and in the know. We publish this for the benefit of FALDP members, legal document preparers, and friends. Published monthly since May, 2010

Last Call for Member Directory Update 🔊

An email was sent out to All members requesting an update on services rendered and business contact information. If you have not responded to staff@faldp.org

OR faldp2010@gmail.com yet please do so by December 10th, 2023 so we may complete the update and send a copy of the updated Member Directory to all members for reference.

Please include in your email response:

1. Member Name:
2. Business Name:
3. Email Address(es):
4. Member Cell Phone Number:
5. Business Phone Number (s):
6. Website(s):
7. Social Media Platforms:
8. Address(es):
9. County(ies): The ones you originally put for member directory and if you also do others list them separately.
10.Areas of Law you prepare documents for and which specific documents you prepare for each area of law: (For Example: Family Law : Simplified Divorce, Uncontested DOM w/out children)
Please fill out the answers as specifically as possible to facilitate our understanding of the services you provide when we are sending out referrals.

Let us know if any of this information should remain confidential and not shared with other members.

THANK YOU!

This is one of our 2023 Year End Specials, and is available December 20th through December 31. Enroll in any of our online courses and receive 20% OFF the full price. Choose from 13 online self-paced courses. And, if you're not a member yet, this savings could go a long way to offset your membership fee. Save BIG $$$$. It costs $132 to join ($93 membership fee and $39 for our mandatory course, "Avoid UPL!"). Go to https://www.faldp.org/2023-end-of-year-bundle-specials.html and enter the password “SaveBig2023” for BIG SAVINGS. Future members, be sure to join before December 31 to be entitled to the 20% OFF.
As We Grow ...

We updated our FALDP Members Handbook, and members can find it inside the Members Only area..

Also, please remember:
• When adding content for the member's county directory do not use html
• when making a change to the directory or adding yourself to a special directory, do so through the members' only area;
• Be considerate when contacting your colleagues, ie. don't text without permission, leave voicemails so there's no missed call, etc.;
• when joining the FALDP private FB group use your name, not your company name;
• when emailing FALDP, use staff@faldp.org OR faldp2010@gmail.com NOT BOTH;

THANK YOU!


Avoid UPL! Course - REMINDER

Don't forget. If you haven't taken the Avoid UPL! Course since August 1 of 2023, you need to take it again. We require all members to take the Avoid UPL! Course each year. We add, or edit some content throughout the year, but make no effort to entertain members with all fresh and new information. We hope members will internalize the main points through repetition. In addition, you may discover something new that had not caught your attention before. We admit that some of the information seems trivial. Learn it anyway. Your goal is to Avoid UPL, you don't need to agree with all of the rules.

We literally designed this course to:

KEEP YOU SAFE IN THE MARKETPLACE


Zoom Meetings

Last Zoom Meeting: The Zoom Meeting held on Saturday November 4th of this month focused on the "Future of FALDP". An Outline of this Zoom Meeting is available upon request so that all Members can get an idea of what to expect moving forward.

Next Zoom Meeting: Our next Zoom Meeting is scheduled for December 9th at 2:00 pm EST and we will be honored to interview our member Yahaira Rodriguez with Legally Notarized who will be speaking about "How to become a RON". Attend if you can, this meeting will be helpful to you whether you are interested in becoming a RON or not as most document preparation services require the completion of notarial services as well. Attend if you can, you'll be glad you did. Remember, our Saturday Zoom Meetings are one continuing education unit.

We email invitations in advance of each Zoom Webinar to all members. We also post the invitation inside our private Facebook Group. After our meetings we post information related to the meeting inside the Members Only area.


Legal Advice v Legal Information

Sometimes it's hard for people to fully understand the differences between legal advice and legal information. Information is fact. Advice is telling someone what they should or should not do. Seems obvious enough.

However some general advice becomes not advice at all because it so general. For example, common knowledge advice. You should wear your seat belt while driving. Don't drink and drive. You should pay your income taxes on time. You should financially support your children. All of those statements are advice, and there are laws related to all of those statements, so does that mean those statements are “legal advice”, which is something that only a lawyer can give? >p>No, the very general nature of the advice, even though the subject is technically a legal matter, transforms these advisories into general advice.

But, it gets murky. I'm not an attorney. What if I said to a first time homeowner, you should apply for homestead exemption? Is that general advice? It's obvious to me, and common knowledge to me having lived in Florida most of my life and bought and sold more than one home. But what if the first time homeowner is not only a first timer, but also has recently moved to Florida? Is it legal advice?

Maybe. It might be better to send that person down to the county building to find out all about homestead exemption on his own.

I always identify myself to prospective customers as a legal document preparer. And, I then, explain that a legal document preparer can prepare legal documents, provide legal information, and explain procedure, but may not provide legal advice or representation. Although, most consumers say they understand, it still may not prevent them from asking legal questions which I cannot answer.

Legal document preparers may not select forms for their customers. But, many times the customer knows exactly what he wants to accomplish legally, but does not know the name of the form or process. For example, frequently an unwed father will call and tell me that the mother of his child will not allow him to see the child. Most of the time, the father is already paying child support. He is at the mercy of the mother's whims, and poor dad doesn't know why. So I tell him the name of the form.

The central form is called a Petition to Determine Paternity and Related Relief. And, I explain it in this way, “this is like a divorce but for parents who were never married and have a child together.” And I go on to explain that the purpose of the process is for him to receive a signed order from the court naming him as the legal father so that he will have just as much right to see the child as the mother. And this is exactly what happens, unless the mother proves that there was ongoing criminal activity in the household; child abuse or neglect; domestic violence in the parents' relationship; or some other reason that this father should not have paternal rights.

Reprinted from https://f-a-l-d-p.blogspot.com/ FALDP Blogspot aka Legal Sunshine


FALDP on Social Media and Beyond

Follow FALDP on Instagram. Our Instagram account is relatively new, and not a lot of followers. Help us solve that by following us and liking our posts. Instagram - Faldp Ruth Tick Please visit our FALDP Facebook Page We regularly post content and accept member submissions. Also, please like and follow.

And, we regularly create our explainer and marketing videos which first appear on our FALDP on YouTube channel FALDP members are permitted to share our video content to your site and social media. We only ask that you refrain from editing our videos, and be sure to provide proper attribution. And, don't forget to subscribe!

WE NOW HAVE OVER 100 YOUTUBE FOLLOWERS

THANK YOU!

Spanish & English Parenting Course

Did you know that FALDP members can receive $3.00 for each referral to either version of the Parenting Course?

Prices are: $32.99 and $17.99 for low income. Here's the link directly to the Spanish version - spanish parenting course And here it is for the English version Parenting Course

Parental Education and Family Stabilization Course is mandatory for all divorcing couples who have children; and all people seeking a paternity action.


Don't have a site yet? Try Monarch Web Strategies

Horizon Research Network is one of our associated sites which includes our design services. We build business websites for FALDP members for only $150 - set up; and $100. per page; and includes your domain name and first month's hosting. And, have you seen our whiteboard videos online? We can create a custom whiteboard video to promote your business. Once built its yours to use in any of your advertising or promotions. Contact us for a custom quote.

FALDP Private Facebook Group

About one third of our membership has joined the FALDP private Facebook group. We created it to make it easier to interact with each other. So far, people have given work referrals to one another; asked questions to the group; received help in locating a form; and discussed various issues. If you're working toward FALDP Certification, you earn one CEU just by joining the group. So, what are you waiting for? Look for the private group after going to the official FALDP Facebook page at FALDP,LLC on Facebook.


Member's Announcements & Contributions

Have something to share?

We accept member's announcements and appreciate your contributions. If you have an announcement about your business, an expansion of services, moving your offices, or winning awards, please send us the information and we'll include it in our newsletter. Your announcement needs to be pertinent to your business. We are unable to include announcements about other trade associations, clubs or groups.

If you would like to write an article, editorial, opinion piece, or web page please let us know. We are always in need of fresh information and insights.


FALDP Contact Information:
Main number – (941)237-0951
Toll free - (800)515-0496
Email – staff@faldp.org

PLEASE LINK YOUR SITE TO WWW.FALDP.ORG
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