Financial difficulties shouldn’t prevent any client from receiving quality legal assistance. With JustFund’s help, law firms can deliver more effective services to a broader range of clients. Here’s why family lawyers partner with JustFund.
Key takeaways
- JustFund’s understanding of family law enables us to provide a financing option that reflects the needs of clients and lawyers.
- We provide financial certainty that eases client concerns and gives lawyers peace of mind.
- Lawyers can provide greater client support with funding for more tailored legal strategies.
- JustFund’s Navio software streamlines client onboarding.
- Our funding method improves the lawyer/client relationship and decreases payment disputes.
Family law expertise
JustFund isn’t your ordinary credit provider. We’re Australia’s first legal financer who focuses solely on family law. We put a premium on legal expertise. Traditional lenders employ financial advisers to liaise with clients. On JustFund’s team, you’ll find experienced family lawyers and experts in innovative financial technology. Why do we do this?
Specialised knowledge
Our team has decades of combined experience in family law practice. We know the specific financial implications of family law fees. This allows us to tailor funding to the individual needs of clients. This gives family lawyers confidence that their services will be properly funded.
Better collaboration
As family lawyers ourselves, we speak a family lawyer’s language. We can communicate more efficiently about case needs and legal costs. Our funding fits with a family law firm’s workflow. We have developed efficient application processes to shrink obstacles to financing.
Financial certainty
Financial certainty frees up mental and emotional space for lawyers and clients. Some clients expend significant energy worrying about their financial position. This is understandable. Legal matters can have major implications for someone’s financial future. This can impact lawyers in different ways:
- A client can be distracted by financial worries. Lawyers rely on client cooperation to ensure a case progresses smoothly. Lawyers need to be able to communicate with clients about their priorities in parenting or property matters. Clients also assist with producing necessary documentation. Strategising is more difficult if clients aren’t focused.
- Financially stressed clients can try to exert more control over their circumstances. They may require excessive contact with their lawyer. Lawyers should be available to their clients. However, lawyers can be inhibited from proceeding with cases efficiently.
With JustFund’s assistance, clients don’t need to fret about their legal expenses. They’re safe knowing their case will proceed without billing concerns. Clients are free to concentrate on their case’s needs. This makes a lawyer’s job much easier and improves the lawyer/client relationship.
Lawyers also get peace of mind from JustFund’s support.
- Family lawyers don’t want to deny legal assistance to vulnerable clients. Uncertainty around a client’s ability to keep up with legal bills can weigh on a firm. JustFund ensures that invoices are covered promptly. Most invoices are paid within 48 hours!
- We understand that family law expenses can be unpredictable. A lawyer’s budget should be equally flexible. A lawyer may find that a line of credit needs to be supplemented. We’ve streamlined our application process to minimise barriers to adequate funding for a lawyer’s services. If a lawyer requests additional funding, approval can be expedited without the need to re-apply.
Greater client support
A client’s financial resources inform the representation they can access. Lawyers endeavour to structure their fees in a way that is feasible for as many clients as possible. Fixed-fees help clients clarify their budget when the services required are predictable. However, there are situations where legal services can’t be priced fully with pre-defined fees. For example, financial consent orders are often offered at a fixed rate. However, this can depend on certain factors:
- The lawyer expects that the parties have already fully disclosed their finances. If they haven’t, the lawyer may need to help the client gather the necessary documentation. This can include valuing superannuation interests and accessing bank statements. This process can be time-consuming.
- A fixed-rate consent order will usually assume that the parties have already reached an agreement. If they haven’t, the lawyer will need to oversee negotiations. Negotiations can be extensive, depending on the complexity of the property pool.
JustFund allows clients access to the services necessary to achieve a successful result. This allows the lawyer to develop strategies that are tailored to the client’s specific needs.
- Does the case require mediation?
- Are you handling a complex asset pool that requires specialist valuation?
- Are the parties engaging a family counsellor?
- Is an expert witness contributing to your case in court?
- Do you need a forensic accountant to assist with a financial agreement?
There are many potential expenses. What if you had access to guaranteed funding for these necessities? When law firms are backed by JustFund, they can provide the highest standards of client support without financial concerns.
Onboarding clients with Navio
Onboarding new clients is one of the most critical aspects of a law firm’s client relations. First impressions count. The onboarding process impacts the client experience and administrative work. JustFund partners have free access to Navio. Navio is a platform developed by JustFund to benefit family law firms. It reflects our position as a leader in family law financing and innovative legal technology.
Navio offers a variety of advantages:
- Helps firms avoid the hassle of chasing up forms and manual data collection.
- Easily integrates into the law firm’s website.
- Performs automatic conflict checks to verify information and maintain ethical standards. This protects clients and the firm.
- Enables a tailored onboarding process with customised forms and data collection.
- Provides immediate insights into a client’s circumstances. This allows for tailored strategies and better outcomes.
- Facilitates long-term client relationships and reduces onboarding costs.
Better client conversion
JustFund helps law firms improve client conversion on different fronts.
Overcome financial barriers
A key concern for clients when facing legal concerns is their ability to afford legal representation. As much as 30% of Family Court cases involve a party who self-represents at some point. With better access to financing, many of these self-represented parties can receive professional assistance. JustFund offers law firms a point of difference that empowers clients to approach them for help.
Increased trust
When lack of funding is a concern, clients may feel that their lawyer won’t provide the most successful outcome. Without financial stress, clients can be confident that their lawyer can develop effective strategies for the best result.
Eliminating payment disputes
No more chasing invoices
With JustFund’s line of credit, lawyers don’t have to worry about following up on invoices. We ensure bills are paid quickly and painlessly. There’s no need for firms to waste administrative effort tracking unpaid fees.
Improve client relationships
Clients value legal representation differently from the billable hour model. The Lawyerist podcast points out that clients don’t want to pay for a lawyer’s time. They want to pay for a solution. An invoice may not communicate the true value of the firm’s services. JustFund’s financing allows lawyers to explore customised strategies with a clear advantage for the client.
Reduce write-downs
Write-downs have a large impact on a law firm’s profitability. A firm can lose tens of thousands of dollars per lawyer in write-downs per year. Efficient and reliable access to legal funding reduces the effect of write-downs on a firm’s revenue.
Conclusion
Legal costs don’t need to define the relationship between a client and their lawyer. JustFund helps lawyers concentrate on their clients’ needs. Our expert team assists firms at every step. This creates a mutually beneficial relationship that expands legal access.
JustFund helped me when I didn’t have the funds to pay for my divorce. Without JustFund I wouldn’t have been able to pay my legal bills.
– Melanie M
