Richard S. Granat, J.D.

Welcome to MD Family Lawyer.com - the Maryland divorce law firm that provides online legal services for a fixed fee in Maryland uncontested divorce and other family law matters.

One of my passions is figuring out how to help people divorce peacefully and get on with their lives, without spending thousands of dollars on legal fees.  If you have children, the money is better spent on your children rather than on legal fees, if you can avoid it.

I am also intrigued by the potential of the Internet as a means to lower the cost of legal services and for demonstrating new ways to offer legal services.  In 2002, I established Granat Legal Services, P.C., as the first online Maryland divorce law firm, to demonstrate the concept of a law firm that delivers legal services over the Internet for couples seeking an affordable divorce.

Practicing law this way enables me to serve clients in a cost effective way, and at the same time I am able to split my time between Maryland and Florida, where I live most of the year. I am also  happy to meet you in person, provided that you make an appointment first.

Relevant Professional Background and Credentials

I am the author of "How to Do Your Own Divorce in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia," and "Divorce:  A Do-It-Yourself Manual For Marylanders."   I am also a member of the Maryland Bar and District of Columbia Bar.

I am presently Co-Chair of the ELawyering Task Force of the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association, whose mission is to help lawyers deliver legal affordable legal services over the Internet to clients of moderate income.  I am also a liaison member of the Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services of the ABA., which is concerned with developing new methods of delivering legal services to people of moderate means. I am Co-Author of the Best Practice Guidelines for Legal Information Web Site Providers which were adopted by the ABA House of Delegates in February 2003.

In addition, I have been:

• the Coordinator of a pro se project on self-help representation in family law matters. See research on pro se representation at http://www.pro-selaw.org.  This is where I learned about the power of self-help, and I maintain this site for others who are interested in this important movement.
• the Founder of the People's Law Library of Maryland.  This project taught me about the power of the Web to change peoples lives through the provision of legal information.
• a member of the American Bar Association, the Maryland Bar Association, (and a member of the Family Law Section for both), and the District of Columbia Bar Association.  I am a graduate of Columbia University School of Law, (J.D.); the University of Pennsylvania, (M.S.); and Lehigh University, (B.A.).
• a member of the core group that started the Civil Justice Network of Maryland.

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