What are unbundled services?

“Unbundled services” is a relatively new term in the legal field.  It means, basically, hiring a lawyer to do parts of your case, without hiring the lawyer to represent you in all respects of an entire case.  In practice, this sometimes means hiring the lawyer to represent you in one piece of your case, such as establishing child support, when you have represented yourself in a divorce or custody case.  It might mean hiring a lawyer to draft a difficult legal pleading, like a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) for splitting retirement.  It can also mean paying the lawyer to help you draft your own pleadings, or to prepare you to represent yourself at a trial or hearing.

Colbert Family Law, LLC is one of a number of local firms that offer unbundled services in family matters.  You can get a much better result in many cases if you hire a lawyer to help you represent yourself, since the legal system is extremely complex and confusing for a layperson.  It will also be much less expensive than hiring a lawyer to do everything in your case.  Some things you should never do yourself, like drafting a QDRO or a military retirement order.

The best way to get satisfactory legal services is to be straightforward with your lawyer about what help you want and can afford.  If you want unbundled services, talk over with your lawyer what he/she can do for you, and what you can do for yourself to get the best result.  Some cases are just too complex or high-risk for you to do yourself.  This is also something you should discuss with your lawyer.