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<p>Law Office of<br>
<strong>F.ANDREKITA SILVA</strong><br>
<strong>________________________________________________________________________</strong><br>
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July 16, 2019 <br>
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Joyce,<br>
I agree with Eric that the action you take in response should depend on the specific situation.<br>
At minimum, I would contact the pro se defendant / Respondent by email (not by phone), say 1) I got your mail, 2) I don’t represent you , 3) if you want the court to consider you Answer, you will need to file it with the court as required by civil rules and <strong><em>as set forth in the summons</em></strong>.<br>
(Practically, courts have gone different ways on whether an informal letter showing disagreement/ intent to defend is enough to protect a litigant from default – so I would not seek a default if the person had sent me an informal letter indicating an intent to defend. I would try to get that person to comply with the civil rules without doing it for them unless it benefited my client.)<br>
In a civil matter, my summons tells the Defendant that 1) they must Answer within XX days, and 2) that the original Answer must be filed with the Clerk’s office with a copy on me. In a family law matter, the Summons which is a mandatory form has extremely detailed information about where to secure a form to Answer/ Respond, how to file it, how to serve it, etc. , tells them they don’t have to consult with a lawyer but says it’s a good idea, etc. <br>
I have had an occasional client ask why they are billed for time spent speaking to the opposing party (their spouse). I let them know I must deal with a pro se spouse exactly as I would an opposing counsel. If an OP abuses my time by calling to complain of my client, and not for some valid purpose, then I ask them to communicate by email only. So, in regards to procedural matters, I give OP basic info necessary to avoid a mess down the road, which could cause my client to incur fees unnecessarily. But not so much that my client feels like I am working for the wrong person.<br>
Also, some OP’s can say the darndest things. I once had a pro se OP claim that I had mediated between he and his ex partner and so, had to be removed as my client’s lawyer due to a conflict of interest. In fact, prior to him filing his about 4<sup>th</sup> modification action, I had tried to negotiate a resolution with him on behalf of my client (who had a ‘no contact’ order against this guy) and I had been aggressively representing her in actions involving him for about 15 years. So, it is important to be cautious.<br>
<br>
andrekita<br>
Law Office of F. Andrekita Silva<br>
1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 2000<br>
Seattle, Washington 98101<br>
206-224-8288<br>
www.seattle-silvalaw.com<br>
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Quoting Eric Nelsen <<a href="mailto:Eric@sayrelawoffices.com">Eric@sayrelawoffices.com</a>>:</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Krista--I should clarify, on occasion I have filed a pro se's document, but only as an exhibit to my own declaration concerning the nature of contacts with the defendant and not as a substantive pleading, and expressly reserving the right to move to strike and all rights to challenge its sufficiency under Civil Rules and other applicable law.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I think that <a href="http://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/?fa=court_rules.display&group=ga&set=RPC&ruleid=garpc4.3">RPC 4.3</a> (dealing with pro se parties) can be a trap if we just file stuff for non-clients. I don't want a pro se coming back and claiming that, for example, after I filed their first pleading for them they just thought they could rely on me to file whatever they send to me. Such an assertion would almost certainly be tactical BS but I don't want to hand them that leverage. Pro se parties are hard enough to deal with.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>And in litigation, the importance of an Answer to Complaint is quite a bit greater than, say, some random letter submitted in response to a motion. If I see a tactical advantage to my client from an unfiled Answer, I don't want to give that up.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>It also matters to me what kind of pro se I am dealing with, and what the dispute is about. Some parties have reasonable positions and fair arguments, and the best route for my client is to move things forward to review by the court. I might facilitate the other side's filing in that case. But some pro se parties are obstructive, obtuse and obstreperous, and are advancing some lame legal claim just to be extortionate or annoying, and I wouldn't even take their phone call, much less help with a filing. If I can cut them off at the knees, I will.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Of course this is all subject always to duties of candor to the tribunal, fairness to opposing parties, and so forth--I would never conceal anything, but I also don't want to guide a pro se into mounting a more effective defense against my client.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Sincerely,</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Eric</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Eric C. Nelsen</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>SAYRE LAW OFFICES, PLLC</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>1417 31st Ave South</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Seattle WA 98144-3909</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>phone 206-625-0092</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>fax 206-625-9040</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b> <span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com [mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com] <b>On Behalf Of</b> Krista MacLaren<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, July 16, 2019 3:09 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> wsba probate & trust<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] Receipt of unfiled answer from pro se defendant</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">When this has happened to me I have put a coversheet on it stating that I received it from the pro se and it was not previously filed, and I have filed it, probably via electronic filing. I have considered this my duty as an officer of the court, though Eric makes me wonder if that is misguided. Still, I would probably do this the next time as well. </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Krista J. MacLaren<br>
Attorney at Law<br>
Northgate Executive Center II<br>
9725 3rd Ave NE, Suite 600<br>
Seattle WA 98115<br>
(206) 523-6116<br>
<a href="mailto:kjm.inc@icloud.com">kjm.inc@icloud.com</a><br>
<br>
Please note, as with most email providers, Mac does not encrypt email messages. Accordingly, the confidentiality of messages sent to this address cannot be assured. This e-mail is intended for viewing only by the individual or entity to whom its content is addressed, and it may contain confidential or privileged information. If you received this email in error, please honor the privacy of the intended recipient: reply to the sender regarding the error and delete the message.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">On Jul 16, 2019, at 1:46 PM, JOYCE SCHWENSEN <<a href="mailto:Joyce@schwensenlaw.com">Joyce@schwensenlaw.com</a>> wrote:</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Listmates,</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>I received by mail a hand-written answer from a pro se defendant. It hasn’t been filed and is not formatted correctly. Do I have some responsibility to file it with the court, or can I just mail it back to the defendant with a letter stating that it is their responsibility to file it with the clerk, and otherwise treat it as an appearance? If I need to file it, any suggestions about how? Should I mail it to the court clerk for paper-filing, try to e-file it as-is, put some type of cover sheet with a statement from me as to where it came from?</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Thanks, Joyce</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style='font-family:"Garamond","serif";color:navy'>Law Office of Joyce S. Schwensen</span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style='font-family:"Garamond","serif";color:navy'>Joyce S. Schwensen, PS</span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-family:"Garamond","serif";color:navy'>12055 15<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Ave NE</span><br>
<span style='font-family:"Garamond","serif";color:navy'>Seattle, WA 98125</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:navy'> </span></span><br>
<span style='font-family:"Garamond","serif";color:navy'>Tel: (206) 367-1065</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-family:"Garamond","serif";color:navy'>Fax</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif";color:navy'>:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style='font-family:"Garamond","serif";color:#000099'>(206) 899-1674</span><br>
<span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><a href="mailto:Joyce@SchwensenLaw.com"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif";color:navy'>Joyce@SchwensenLaw.com</span></a></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.schwensenlaw.com/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif";color:navy'>www.SchwensenLaw.com</span></a></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style='font-family:"Garamond","serif";color:navy'>PLEASE NOTE<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>NEW ADDRESS</u>:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>12055 15<sup>TH</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>AVE. NE, SEATTLE, WA 98125</u>.</span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i></b><br>
<span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>This communication (including any attachments) is confidential and may contain legally privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient or believe that you may have received this communication in error, please delete this communication from your computer and do not retransmit, copy, print or otherwise disseminate this communication.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP:</span></i></b><br>
<span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>This e-mail does not in any way intend to provide legal advice to be relied upon by any recipient and does not create any duty or obligation for legal representation on behalf of the sender Joyce S. Schwensen, PS on behalf of the recipient of this e-mail without a written engagement agreement.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>REFERRALS:</span></i></b></p>
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<div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:11px;"> andrekita<br>
Law Office of F. Andrekita Silva<br>
1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 2000<br>
Seattle, Washington 98101<br>
206-224-8288<br>
www.seattle-silvalaw.com</span></span></div>
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