Legal Counseling

  "Legal Counseling:  for those very knotty cases, the very new techniques of legal counseling can be as effective as the sword of Damocles.  A combination of psychological counseling and legal thinking, legal counseling can help the client process emotions, sort out agendas, prioritize and classify goals, accomplish extra-legal goals, find appropriate counsel, formulate instructions for the lawyer, negotiate, caucus, execute documents and achieve emotional closure.   Legal counseling works with one, two, or several parties.  It is useful where mediation cannot operate, such as situations where violence, fraud, or an uneven playing field are present.  Legal counseling invariably saves precious legal time, answering clients' cost concerns." 

     So says Eva van Loon, a holistic Canadian attorney now in the US, who practices as a mediator and ethicist.  She is available by email, telephone, or fax:  Mettalaw@aol.com, (808)244-6119 or (808)879-9709; fax (808)244-6119.

     This is a developing area. Eva is getting a PhD in counseling and writing her dissertation on Legal Counseling. She seeks attorneys who are willing to participate in her model and help her with her research.

     As I understand Eva's model, the emphasis is on counseling the client to clarify issues. For example, a divorce client might have several legal issues but she also has some emotional issues. A legal counselor works with her to help her separate out the issues and to identify professionals who are most suited for her needs. So, she might want a mediator or she might want a strong litigator, depending on her case, the issues and her inclination.  The legal counselor also works with her throughout the process, helping her stay focused and clear and giving her a forum for discussing issues before she takes them to the appropriate lawyer or therapist. I can see the value of having a legal counselor who works with an emotional client as he goes through a contested custody battle and many other situations where a legal counselor would forward the action in resolving a case.

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