Document preparer Linda Pepping-Seger makes a living helping clients file for divorce, but that doesn't mean she believes in the quick dissolution of marriage.
"I think way too many people give up too easily," she said about struggling couples.
But the owner of Divorce Packet Processing said she recognizes that divorce may be the only solution in certain circumstances.
"There are times when people are just not good together," said Seger, who normally processes five or six divorces a week.
Regardless of each couple's situation, Seger said that by the time people walk into her Northwest Side office, they are determined to go through with a divorce.
"If people are going to split up, we want to make this legal part easier," she said. "If nothing's legal, you don't have child support being paid, and you have people running up debt and both spouses are liable."
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Seger has been familiar with the laws governing divorce, and its fallout, for a long time. She has been through two divorces, and her late father, Hyman Brazlin, was an attorney specializing in family law. Divorce was a frequent topic of conversation at the family dinner table, Seger recalled.
Law school didn't appeal to Seger. Instead, she became a legal assistant and worked for attorneys until she opened her own business in 1989.
She is certified for her work through the Arizona Supreme Court. July will mark five years since the state's highest court legalized document preparation by non-lawyers, despite opposition from attorneys.
Seger was one of four non-lawyers who, along with four lawyers, wrote the rules that govern document preparers, she said.
"That changed the way the public handles legal matters, particularly routine ones such as divorce, child-support modifications, wills, trusts and to a degree, bankruptcy," Seger said.
As a certified legal-document preparer, she can fill out the documentation required in Arizona for a petition for divorce. But unlike an attorney, she doesn't offer legal advice.
Plenty of Seger's clients find her after giving up on filling out the many legal forms included in divorce kits, she said, which are widely available for sale.
Her service fee starts at $250 and increases based on the type of divorce. The costs of Seger's services are well below an attorney's fees, which she said can range roughly from $2,000 to $3,000 in an uncontested divorce.
Seger deals mostly with uncontested divorces. She said she usually refers potential clients with complex cases to attorneys. In her own divorces, she sought legal advice.
"Thank God for her; I can't afford an attorney," said David Karlen, a surveyor who recently stopped by Seger's upstairs office at Casa Blanca Plaza, 6050 N. Oracle Road.
Karlen's wife left him months ago and is now living out of state, Karlen told Seger. He asked several questions and left with a promise to return and start the divorce process.
"The simpler the better, and the quicker the better," Karlen said.
After Karlen walked out, Seger welcomed another man, an electrician who had been separated for more than a year and was ready for a divorce.
Seger and her client spent about an hour together. He answered questions, and she filled out electronic forms.
The man paid $640 for Seger's service. The cost is higher when custody of minors is part of the divorce. The price includes costs for the court filings and keeping track of the divorce petition's progress.
"When people are going through a divorce, they're generally very emotional," Seger said. "And most would prefer to have someone else deal with filling out the forms, going to the court, going to the post office, dealing with their spouse."
Meet the worker
Name: Linda Pepping-Seger.
Age: 45.
Occupation: Legal-document preparer.
Experience: 19 years.
