Unbundling/limited scope or discrete issue, representation.

The Law Office of Virginia Sudbury will provide “unbundled” legal services, in addition to the full package of traditionally offered legal services. The client and lawyer select the services the lawyer will provide. We will focus in the area of family law.

What are “unbundled” legal services?

“Unbundled legal services”, or “limited scope legal assistance” means that our office can assist clients with only those legal services that they want. We offer a designated service or services, rather than the full package of traditionally offered services. Through these limited-service relationships, the client retains authority to make the major decisions in the matter. This limits the expenses of representation.

The lawyers who provide this assistance create attorney-client relationships with the people whom they help. In this legal relationship, the client is in charge of selecting one or several discrete lawyering tasks contained within the full-service package.

Why are unbundled legal services needed?

It is the cost of full-service representation in litigation that is prohibitive for many. Many pro se litigants have enough disposable income to pay for the limited representation they need. The great majority of lawyers do not offer these potential clients the services they need and can afford. Instead, they present them with an all (full-service) or nothing (wholly self-represented) Hobson’s “choice.” The result is more pro se litigants.

Worse, some people pay lawyers an amount sufficient to buy the limited representation they need, but as a deposit for full-service representation. When the client cannot pay a later installment of the full-service fee, the lawyer discontinues the legal work. This leaves the client, lawyer, and court frustrated, and converts the former client into a pro se litigant.

Other factors fueling demand for limited scope assistance include consumerism, the selfhelp ethic (reinforced by the Internet), and disaffection with the excesses of the adversary system.

WHAT IT CAN DO

Limited representation can also help courts to manage their dockets more efficiently and fairly. It can increase the quality of pleadings, identify and focus the issues in cases, and lead to fairer outcomes, at least as measured by client satisfaction surveys.

By offering a limited-service option, a lawyer can add not only limited-service clients to his or her practice, but also full-service clients when, as frequently happens, partially-represented clients convert to full representation, or first-time limited-service clients come back as second-time full service clients