What is it?
When a lawyer is unbundling his/her legal services it means
that you and the lawyer can agree to limit the scope of lawyer’s
representation. Instead of having legal services from the beginning
to the end of the case the lawyer’s representation can be limited to
a specific task.
Are you one of the Albertans who perceives
the justice system to be intimidating,
inefficient and expensive?
You are not alone! Are you in 5.7% of Canadians who earns an
annual income more than $100,000 per year? Or are you in the
36.85% of Canadians earning more than $35,000 and $100,000?
The majority of matrimonial lawyers charge per hour and require
a retainer up front which usually is a few thousand dollars.
How can you afford the cost
of legal representation?
You can hire a lawyer on limited scope representation whereby you
ask the lawyer to act for you with respect to certain tasks. There are
services “a la carte”, Mr. Mosten, an eminent California lawyer &
mediator and the author of “Unbundling” told me. The unbundled
practice, he said, had been popular in the US for many years. The old
view was a “full service package” but now lawyers can offer the
client a choice of what services are required and you, the client,
have the control over the cost.
Even the Chief Justice of Canada, Beverley McLachlin, has invited
lawyers to consider the U.S. trend of “unbundling” legal services
so clients could do some of the work on their case themselves and,
as a result, lower the cost of legal representation. Wouldn’t it make
sense to listen to the Chief Justice of Canada?
Isnʼt it a reasonable way to ensure that you obtain legal
advice to make the best decision for your family?
Tasks that can be unbundled
- It costs you less when you do a portion of the work yourself
- It gives you control over the process and you decide what you want to discuss and when to take the next step
- You do not have to wait for your lawyer to return your call to know what is going on with your case