August 16, 2004
Talkin' law | A chat with Teresa Moore, president & CEO of Downeast Services Corp. in Eastport.
By Dorothy Ogrodowczyk
Founded: September 2003
Projected revenues, year one: $90,000
Projected revenues, year two: $95,000
Address: 1 South St., Eastport
Phone: 877-880-6082
Describe what your company does.
We are a non-lawyer legal support document service provider; we assist people and businesses of all income levels throughout Maine with document preparation. We submit the documents to the courts for filing, and we handle process serving [delivery of legal papers] as well. We are paralegals, and we do everything an attorney does, except that we don't represent clients or appear with them in court. By law, only attorneys can do [those things].
How many employees do you have?
We have four, but soon we will bring on a fifth.
When did you first get the idea for the company?
I intended to become an attorney, but I felt that the consumer needed another source for legal assistance because the expense of an attorney is tremendous. After legal secretarial school, working for a law firm [in the 1970s] and giving [legal] seminars, I realized the need for a service offered to the public.
How did you finance the launch of your business, and what did it cost?
Through savings. It cost $5,000 to $6,000.
What was your first day in business like?
We got an enormous number of calls. People asked, "What do you do? What can you do?" By law, we have to inform callers up front that we're not attorneys and we can't represent them. We inform people of their rights, like the right to appear in court in pro per, or without a lawyer. The response has been wonderful.
How did you choose Eastport?
We conducted a survey that found that Washington County was in need of cost-effective legal assistance. But we've gotten calls from all over New England. Most clients e-mail or fax documents, so [our location] hasn't hindered us, and we don't often need to travel.
What have you achieved since starting the business?
We've handled matters like wills, trusts and adoptions for clients all over Maine and outside of Maine. We've gotten a lot of referrals, and a few CEOs of our business clients have called us to assist them with their personal matters.
What's your competition like, and how do you differ?
Our biggest competition is attorneys. We've had a few calls from local attorneys, and one referred a matter over to us. It varies from state to state what paralegals can do, but my education is vast because I've taken classes all over and I have an extensive litigation background. At the law firm I worked with, I assisted trial attorneys by preparing briefs, interviewing witnesses and assisting in court.
Sometimes when a case goes to an attorney, he or she will run up the costs of the case; attorneys have to bill so many hours a week. With a paralegal, clients maintain control instead of not knowing how much the bill is going to be every month. We're much more cost-effective than an attorney ˆ we charge about a third of what an attorney would charge.
What are your plans for growth?
We want to open offices in various areas of Maine. We're also in the process of setting up a smaller nonprofit company that would offer service to seniors and low-income people who can't afford any payment, like Legal Aid in other states.
Describe a mistake you've made in your business, and what you learned from it.
So far, knock on wood, no mistakes. A learning experience was getting familiar with the different counties in Maine. Statutes define procedures for handling matters, but judges have idiosyncrasies. Different courts like to see things filed a bit differently, and knowing that helps things flow more smoothly.
I've heard it is illegal in Maine to marry the spouse of a grandparent. Ever run into trouble with that law?
No, but we got a call from a woman who asked if the person had to be dead to file a probate. I also got a few calls from senior men asking if they could adopt younger women. In the legal profession, once you think you've heard it all, you really haven't.
New Entrepreneurs profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to dorothyo@mainebiz.biz.
Projected revenues, year one: $90,000
Projected revenues, year two: $95,000
Address: 1 South St., Eastport
Phone: 877-880-6082
Describe what your company does.
We are a non-lawyer legal support document service provider; we assist people and businesses of all income levels throughout Maine with document preparation. We submit the documents to the courts for filing, and we handle process serving [delivery of legal papers] as well. We are paralegals, and we do everything an attorney does, except that we don't represent clients or appear with them in court. By law, only attorneys can do [those things].
How many employees do you have?
We have four, but soon we will bring on a fifth.
When did you first get the idea for the company?
I intended to become an attorney, but I felt that the consumer needed another source for legal assistance because the expense of an attorney is tremendous. After legal secretarial school, working for a law firm [in the 1970s] and giving [legal] seminars, I realized the need for a service offered to the public.
How did you finance the launch of your business, and what did it cost?
Through savings. It cost $5,000 to $6,000.
What was your first day in business like?
We got an enormous number of calls. People asked, "What do you do? What can you do?" By law, we have to inform callers up front that we're not attorneys and we can't represent them. We inform people of their rights, like the right to appear in court in pro per, or without a lawyer. The response has been wonderful.
How did you choose Eastport?
We conducted a survey that found that Washington County was in need of cost-effective legal assistance. But we've gotten calls from all over New England. Most clients e-mail or fax documents, so [our location] hasn't hindered us, and we don't often need to travel.
What have you achieved since starting the business?
We've handled matters like wills, trusts and adoptions for clients all over Maine and outside of Maine. We've gotten a lot of referrals, and a few CEOs of our business clients have called us to assist them with their personal matters.
What's your competition like, and how do you differ?
Our biggest competition is attorneys. We've had a few calls from local attorneys, and one referred a matter over to us. It varies from state to state what paralegals can do, but my education is vast because I've taken classes all over and I have an extensive litigation background. At the law firm I worked with, I assisted trial attorneys by preparing briefs, interviewing witnesses and assisting in court.
Sometimes when a case goes to an attorney, he or she will run up the costs of the case; attorneys have to bill so many hours a week. With a paralegal, clients maintain control instead of not knowing how much the bill is going to be every month. We're much more cost-effective than an attorney ˆ we charge about a third of what an attorney would charge.
What are your plans for growth?
We want to open offices in various areas of Maine. We're also in the process of setting up a smaller nonprofit company that would offer service to seniors and low-income people who can't afford any payment, like Legal Aid in other states.
Describe a mistake you've made in your business, and what you learned from it.
So far, knock on wood, no mistakes. A learning experience was getting familiar with the different counties in Maine. Statutes define procedures for handling matters, but judges have idiosyncrasies. Different courts like to see things filed a bit differently, and knowing that helps things flow more smoothly.
I've heard it is illegal in Maine to marry the spouse of a grandparent. Ever run into trouble with that law?
No, but we got a call from a woman who asked if the person had to be dead to file a probate. I also got a few calls from senior men asking if they could adopt younger women. In the legal profession, once you think you've heard it all, you really haven't.
New Entrepreneurs profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to dorothyo@mainebiz.biz.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments