Tag: unbundled legal services

Making Unbundled Legal Services More Accessible for British Columbians

Community posts

by People’s Law School

You may have heard of  “unbundling”—a new way for people to hire and work with a lawyer. Traditionally, a person hires a lawyer to handle every part of a matter. With unbundling, a client and lawyer can pick and choose what parts the lawyer handles, and which parts the client handles. Because the lawyer only does some of the work, it can be much more affordable than hiring a lawyer in the traditional way. 

Unbundling has been legal in BC since 2008, but until now, it’s been hard to find practical information about how it works.

This spring, People’s Law School launched Unbundled Legal Services, a website that explains unbundling for the public. It’s your definitive source for user-friendly information on unbundled legal services for family cases in BC. You can also find it on Clicklaw.

Here’s what you’ll find on Unbundled Legal Services:

  • A quiz that helps people decide if unbundling is a good fit for their situation
  • A link to list of lawyers who offer unbundled family law services in BC
  • Instructions on how to start working on an unbundled legal matter
  • Lots of great, practical tips for working with a lawyer 

Help up spread the word 

Unbundling is an emerging idea that needs support. If you want to tell people about unbundling, share the site with them—or order our pamphlet, free of charge, at https://www.crownpub.bc.ca/Product/Listing/17437_People-s-Law-School

For lawyers

If you’re a family lawyer, check out the following resources:

  • Unbundling Your Family Law Practice – a webinar recording. The presenters JP Boyd, Zahra Jimale and Kari Boyle provided practical tips on providing unbundled services to your clients and helped you to explore the BC Family Law Unbundling Roster, the Family Law Unbundling Toolkit, and other resources.
  • Family Law Unbundling Toolkit. Access the Family Lawyer Toolkit and get information about unbundling, helpful retainer letter templates, checklists, flowcharts, and more.

About People’s Law School

People's Law School's logo

Founded in 1972, People’s Law School is a non-profit society dedicated to making the law accessible to everyone. We provide free education and information to help people effectively deal with the legal problems of daily life.

Our resources are available in a variety of formats to meet the needs of people: on the web and other digital platforms, in booklets and longer-format publications, and through classes in communities around BC.

Stay informed:

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Final Report of BC Family Justice Unbundled Legal Services Project

Get help using Clicklaw, The broader context

We previously discussed “Unbundling” in this introductory post.

In short, unbundled legal services means clients pay for some assistance depending on: (1) what they want help with and (2) what they can afford. It is ideal for clients who value cost predictability and prefer to play a more active role in their own legal matter.

The BC Family Justice Unbundled Legal Services Project has now released their Final Report, which gives some more background on the project designed to encourage more BC family lawyers to offer unbundled legal services to BC families who wish to resolve issues arising from separation and divorce through out-of-court processes including mediation. The Report details the project’s activities, and contemplates the future of the project.

The Report also highlights places where you can learn more about Unbundling, namely the unbundling website: http://unbundling.ca

You may also access the Unbundling Roster on the Clicklaw HelpMap here.

Please spread the word with your colleagues, friends and family; as the Report notes, the Roster “will only be effective and sustainable if the public knows about it and uses it.”

Stay informed:

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