Description

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Unbundling is both a growing method of increasing legal access for the underserved and an untapped market for family lawyers. Family issues are among the most sensitive and pressing matters that enter the civil justice system, and the outcomes of these cases can affect entire families for years to come. Unbundled Legal Services: A Family Lawyer's Guide provides a crucial step forward in matching individuals with the legal services they need. Its focus on family law practitioners is particularly appropriate given the unique promise that unbundling holds for family law litigants. In many jurisdictions, self-representation rates are highest in family cases. But, as any family law attorney (or family court litigant) knows, these are the types of cases that could benefit the most from attorney involvement. Unbundled legal services are client-focused and based on the idea that clients are partners in the lawyer-client relationship. Unbundled services can be narrowly tailored to suit the preferences, skills, and resources of a litigant as well as the parameters of a particular case. Written especially for the family lawyer, the book's topics include: - Why unbundling works for both clients and lawyers--and how to implement it- The limited scope non-court family lawyer- Client intake- How a family lawyer can provide limited scope representation, from dispute resolution and drafting agreements and court forms to litigation, mediation, and legal wellness- The minefields, both ethical and practical, of offering limited scope services- Setting up, managing, and marketing unbundling- Limited scope services for specific family law issues, including parenting, support, and property division- Models of success and how to take the first steps towards offering unbundled services, and moreThe rise of self-represented litigants has brought about a number of reforms initiated by courts, non-profits, and the legal profession. Recent unbundling reforms and interest by attorneys in offering limited service representation is impacting family courts, professional practices, and policy initiatives, and this book provides both the theory and hands-on guidance for family lawyers interested in adding unbundled services to their practice.

About the Author

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Forrest ("Woody") Mosten is internationally recognized as the "Father of Unbundling" for his pioneering work in limited scope representation to provide affordable legal services to the underserved members of society. He has been certified as a Family Law Specialist by the California State Bar and is in solo private practice as a family lawyer and mediator in Los Angeles. Unbundling, collaborative practice, and other non-litigation conflict prevention activities are the foundation of his work with clients. Elizabeth Potter Scully is a founding partner of Jacobson Scully Shebby LLP, a boutique family law firm in West Los Angeles. Her practice is devoted to family law, and includes mediating and mediation consulting, collaborative law, and minor's counsel work, as well as traditional litigation. She also serves on the Board of Levitt & Quinn Family Law Center, a nonprofit law firm serving the working poor.