Legal Services
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The Future of Legal Services: Unbundled Services
by: Howard Iken
There is a new concept in the legal industry called unbundled
services. It is largely unknown by lawyers. But it has appeared in
the attorney-ethical rules of many states. Most consumers have never
heard of it. Most lawyers still have no idea of what it means. But
the influence of this concept may change the future of legal
services.
To understand the concept of unbundled services, one must have an
understanding of the traditional ways attorneys handle
representation. For most of history an attorney began representation
at the beginning of a case. Representation didn’t end until the end
of the case. People needing legal services had two choices: either
pay an attorney a fee for the entire case, or go it alone. There was
no in-between. It was almost unthinkable for an attorney to provide
help filling out one form or attending one hearing. It was all or
nothing. There was nothing wrong with this system for those with the
substantial assets needed to pay an attorney. But people that did
not have much money were out of luck.
Many local state bar associations recognized this problem. The issue
was recently studied by the American Bar Association. A new concept
was borne out of these studies – unbundled services. The basic
premise was that some legal advice was better than no legal advice.
Unbundled services recognized the reality of many consumers – that
attorney fees exceeded the financial capability of many. Unbundled
services solved this problem. This concept makes it acceptable for
an attorney to represent a client for one small part of their case –
without violating ethical rules. Many states have started to adopt
rules recognizing the existence of unbundled services.
The most promising application is for family law services such as
divorce, child custody, support, and property distribution. The
reason: more people attempt to handle their own family law cases
than any other area of law. And the courts are increasing frustrated
and bogged down with self-represented divorce parties. The need for
flexibility and creativity in legal service is the most evident in
family law cases.
Unfortunately, attorneys have been slow to offer unbundled services.
They are either not aware of this new trend or have declined to
change their service offerings. The result: over three quarters of
family law cases involve people that have not hired an attorney.
There are strong advantages for attorneys that offer unbundled
services: a larger potential customer base, less collection
problems, and the satisfaction of helping lower income clients.
If you cannot afford an attorney, consider searching for an attorney
that will offer different services on an “a la cart” basis. This can
include preparing the initial divorce documents, attending one
hearing, or participating in mediation. Do it yourselfers can also
enlist the help of an attorney to prep for their final hearing. The
era of unbundled services has arrived and will ultimately empower
the consumer and increase access to the court system.
Copyright 2006 The Divorce Center P.A.
About The Author
Divorce Attorney Howard Iken has a rapidly growing divorce practice
in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. He can be reached at
1-888-469-3486. More information on divorce can be found at
http://www.18884mydivorce.com. An example of unbundled services can
be found at
http://www.18884mydivorce.com/pub/Fees/fees.htm#Easysavr_Legal_Service