What a Legal Consultant Can & Cannot Do
We take the line between legal support and the practice of law seriously. This page explains, in detail, exactly what eBurst Advocate does — and what we will never do.
Who we are
eBurst Advocate is a civil legal consulting and document preparation service operated by eBurst Services Inc, based in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Our team consists of non-attorney legal consultants ("Advocates"), paralegals, and administrative staff. None of our consultants are licensed to practice law unless that person is expressly identified to you, in writing, as a licensed attorney from our independent Attorney Network.
The unlicensed practice of law
Every U.S. state restricts the practice of law to licensed attorneys. In Florida, the Supreme Court of Florida regulates the practice of law, and The Florida Bar investigates the unlicensed practice of law (UPL). Under Section 454.23, Florida Statutes, practicing law or holding oneself out as qualified to practice law without a license is a crime.
The Supreme Court of Florida has recognized that nonlawyers may sell legal forms and type information onto them for customers, provided that the information comes from the customer in writing and the nonlawyer does not give advice about which forms to use, how to fill them out, or how the law applies. Florida's Rules Regulating The Florida Bar (Chapter 10) and the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure (including Form 12.900(a), Disclosure from Nonlawyer) further define these boundaries. eBurst Advocate's services are designed to stay within them.
What we can do
Document preparation
- Type and complete documents and forms using the information you give us in writing, in your words
- Provide blank forms, including Florida Supreme Court approved forms, along with their official instructions
- Format documents to meet court rules (captions, margins, fonts, signature blocks, certificates of service)
- Proofread for typographical, spelling, and formatting errors (not legal sufficiency)
- Prepare correspondence you will sign and send yourself
Information & organization
- Provide general, publicly available information about court procedures, filing locations, fees, and published deadlines
- Help you access, download, and organize your case docket and filings
- Organize evidence, exhibits, timelines, hearing packets, and trial binders
- Perform legal research on topics you identify and provide copies of statutes, rules, and cases for your or your attorney's review
- Track hearing dates and deadlines as published by the court
Logistics
- E-file your reviewed, approved, and signed documents with the court for you, exactly as signed, as a filing service (you remain the filing party of record)
- Coordinate service of process through a sheriff or certified/licensed process server
- Schedule and coordinate with court reporters, notaries, and mediators you choose
Attorney support
- Work as paralegal or legal support staff under the direct supervision of a licensed attorney, who remains fully responsible for the work
- Refer you to independent licensed attorneys in our network for advice or representation
What we cannot do
- Give you legal advice, opinions, or recommendations about your rights, remedies, defenses, or obligations
- Recommend legal strategy or tell you what to file, when to file it, or whether to settle
- Choose forms or causes of action for you, or tell you how to answer questions on a form
- Explain how a law, rule, order, or contract applies to your specific facts
- Draft documents containing legal arguments or theories we develop for you
- Represent you before any court, agency, mediator, or opposing party
- Negotiate legal disputes, claims, or lawsuits on your behalf (business deal negotiation is offered separately through eBurst Services consulting)
- Sign pleadings for you, alter a document after you sign it, or file anything as a party or representative in your case
- Appear at hearings, depositions, mediations, or trials as your representative
- Guarantee or predict any outcome
- Assist with criminal matters of any kind
- Provide services that require an attorney license in your state
Common examples
✓ We can say
"Here is the blank Answer form and the court's official instructions. Tell us what you want each response to say and we'll type it."
✗ We cannot say
"You should deny paragraph 4 and raise the statute of limitations as a defense."
✓ We can say
"The docket shows a hearing set on the 14th at 9:00 AM in Courtroom 3, according to the Notice of Hearing filed on the 2nd."
✗ We cannot say
"This order means you've lost the motion and you need to appeal within 30 days."
✓ We can say
"Small claims cases in Florida generally begin with a pretrial conference. Here is the published rule and the Clerk's guide."
✗ We cannot say
"You have a strong case — sue for the full amount plus damages."
Our titles explained
| Title | What it means |
|---|---|
| Attorney | A lawyer licensed by a state bar. Only attorneys may give legal advice or represent you. At eBurst Advocate, attorneys are independent professionals in our Attorney Network and are always identified to you in writing. An attorney's role takes precedence over all other roles on a matter. |
| Paralegal | A legal support professional who performs substantive legal work under the supervision of a licensed attorney. In Florida, the title "paralegal" may only be used by persons working under attorney supervision. |
| Advocate / Legal Consultant | A non-attorney eBurst Advocate team member who coordinates your matter and provides document preparation, organization, procedural information, and logistics. "Advocate" describes a support role — not a license to practice law, and not a person who argues your case in court. |
| Case Coordinator | Administrative staff who manage scheduling, intake, payments, and communications. |
Civil matters only
We assist only with civil (non-criminal) matters, such as small claims, contract disputes, landlord-tenant matters, debt collection, consumer complaints, family law forms, and general civil litigation support. If your matter involves criminal charges, traffic criminal offenses, an arrest, or a criminal investigation, please contact a criminal defense attorney or your local Public Defender's Office immediately.
Other states
We primarily serve Florida and accept matters in all 50 states. Rules governing non-attorney assistance differ by state — some states license legal document preparers (for example, Arizona's Legal Document Preparers, California's Legal Document Assistants, and Washington's former Limited License Legal Technician program) and some restrict nonlawyer assistance more narrowly. For every non-Florida matter, we review that state's rules before accepting the engagement and may limit our services accordingly. See our Service Area page.
When you need a lawyer
You should consult a licensed attorney if you are unsure of your rights, if the other side has an attorney, if significant money, property, or parental rights are at stake, if you have been served with a lawsuit and do not know how to respond, or if you need someone to speak for you in court. In Florida, contact The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service at 1-800-342-8011, your local legal aid organization, or ask us about our Attorney Network.