The practice of unbundling legal services, also known as limited scope representation, falls into three general categories: consultation, such as giving advice and direction; document preparation, sometimes referred to as ghostwriting; and limited representation in court. When lawyers offer "unbundled legal services" to their clients they offer only those services that the client wants to pay for, leaving to the client those tasks that the client can do for himself or herself. "

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A good example of unbundled legal services in the family law area is lawyer preparation of the legal pleadings for an uncontested divorce bundled with legal advice for a fixed fee, leaving to the client other tasks such as service on the opposing party and self-representation at the divorce hearing. Hearings for a no-fault and uncontested divorce are primarily administrative in nature, with the Judge confirming the accuracy of the documents and establishing a record that the divorce is consensual and that all the requirements of time of separation and proper service have been satisfied. Most self-represented parties can handle these tasks by themselves without the presence of an attorney, thus saving hundreds of dollars in legal fees.

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One of the most advantageous aspects of unbundling services is limited representation in court. This allows the client to hire an attorney to represent the client in court for limited purposes in addressing issues where the client needs help. You choose what the attorney is used for, and you decide what you handle on your own.

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For example, a client may be involved in a simple divorce action were only exists a dispute over child custody. The client can hire the attorney to represent him or her only in regards to the custody dispute. The client can continue, and concurrently, address all other matters by himself or herself. This is even true if the other party is represented by an attorney. The attorney hired for limited representation purposes will only do work on the issue for which they have been hired. Once the attorney’s portion is done, the attorney can withdraw from the matter even if the case is not done so that the client can finish the case. This can help the client save a great deal of money in attorney’s fees while still getting competent legal representation for more complicated and litigious issues.

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At San Diego Flat Fee Divorce, we tailor legal services to your needs. This includes limited representation for only the issues that you need legal help for so that you can stay within your financial means to get from your divorce what you are looking for. We are here to serve you in any manner possible to meet your financial limitations.