The legal profession is modernizing, and legal tech is booming. One of the biggest changes in the past few years is the increased availability of unbundled legal services. Check out our list of everything you need to know about becoming an unbundled attorney before you get left behind by the competition.
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If you have changed your cable subscription or cell phone provider in the past ten years, you have certainly heard the term "unbundled services." As this trend gained popularity, it spread to other industries, and now it is on the doorstep of the legal profession. The general public wants better access to legal services, and one of the best ways to do that is to be an early adopter of the unbundled legal services movement.
Unbundled legal services are... no, wait, let's back up. Before we can understand what these services are, we need to first understand the opposite: full-service representation.
This is the traditional model of the legal industry where a client retains an attorney to "handle their case," meaning the attorney provides all the services required to reach the client's goal.
It includes everything from administrative tasks (calling the court to confirm a court date) to providing legitimate legal advice (performing legal research, drafting pleadings, and appearing in court) to everything in between.
Since full-service legal representation includes an unpredictable set of tasks, attorneys usually bill by the hour, and the costs can be prohibitive.
When an attorney offers unbundled services, he or she is breaking down the tasks offered in full-service representation to provide a limited scope of legal services.
The truth is that while this movement is gaining momentum in the legal industry, most attorneys and industries have offered unbundled services all along without realizing it. For example, if you charge separately for legal consults, you have offered the unbundled service of reviewing and analyzing a potential client's case to determine whether they would benefit from further legal services.
Now that you know what it is, let's see how unbundled services can be applied to the practice of law.
The easiest way to think about unbundled legal services is to consider how we already limit the scope of our practice. Examples include:
The point here is that offering unbundled legal services does not have to mean a huge change for your practice, and it can provide substantial benefits.
Client expectations are changing rapidly. After the legal tech boom and the pandemic, clients know that technological advances are making certain full-service legal tasks redundant.
It is important to remember that this model is not about replacing law firms or full legal services. It is about giving clients more choices for how they want to be represented.
Some clients will still need and want full-service representation, but others will prefer the unbundled legal services model. Law firms that offer these choices will have a competitive advantage.
One of the primary benefits of the unbundled legal services movement is to increase access to justice. When you break down the tasks associated with full-scope representation, it makes legal services more predictable, affordable, and accessible to a wider range of people.
This does not mean you have to offer the lowest price for legal services. When clients know the upfront cost before choosing which legal services they want, they can make choices based on their budget. Sometimes the threat of having to write a blank check to their attorney prevents people from being able to afford legal representation.
The unbundled legal services model is also beneficial for attorneys. When you break down the tasks associated with full-service representation, it allows you to be more efficient in your use of time. This leads to increased predictability over your schedule and, ideally, a better work-life balance.
When lawyers assume their clients want comprehensive legal representation but their clients are actually seeking unbundled services, it can negatively impact the firm's financial performance. This misalignment often shows up in key performance indicators. Here are some signs that your clients might prefer more limited legal services:
This can cause write-offs and issues with late payments, driving your billing realization rate down.
When this happens, you are spending too much time on non-billable work, so you utilization rate is low.
This one is self-explanatory. If your clients are asking for a specific type of service, they may eventually find that service elsewhere.
While this could be a result of numerous other issues such as staffing or time-management, it can be another indicator that you (or your team) have too much non-billable work, or that your scope of legal services is too broad.
Another indicator of too much non-billable work and scope-creep.
You don’t need to overhaul your entire law firm model to start offering à la carte services. Simply follow the steps below to identify one or two key services to introduce in your practice.
While unbundled legal services are gaining momentum right now, they have been around for a while.
This is good news, because many states have now issued formal guidance on how and when an attorney can provide a limited scope of representation.
Check out the American Bar Association's list of unbundling resources, organized by state.
The first step of unbundling legal services is to understand the steps involved in your current full-scope services. Take a minute to think through the following (or write them down if that helps).
Let’s dive into unbundling with an example. Consider a common legal matter many people face at some point: probating a will.
On the attorney's side, full representation for an uncontested will might include an initial review of the facts, review of the decedent's estate plan, a search for heirs and assets, filing a petition to probate the will, advising the personal representative on how to pay debts of the estate and distribute assets, and closing the estate. These are the mile-markers.
However, many clients can handle some of these services on their own for an uncontested will. For example, they might need legal guidance on filling out the petition and court procedures, can distribute the assets and even appear in court on their own. Filling out the petition is the perfect opportunity for unbundling legal services.
The engagement agreement might state that the limited scope of service includes:
The engagement agreement should also limit common forms of "scope creep" with terms like capping how many times you will revise a document after the initial draft, and allowing the attorney to charge extra if the client fails to provide the requested intake information in a timely manner.
After this, you have a solid outline for the type and scope of unbundled service that you can provide.
There are numerous methods to help minimize scope creep and maximize your efficiency when providing limited scope representation. Here are a few of our favorites:
Secure client portals allow your clients to access their documents whenever they want, or to communicate with your office confidentially. Practice management software often includes client portals, but you can also look for stand-alone portals like Clinked.
When you offer limited scope representation, it becomes easier to focus on your methods and procedures. If you notice repetitive tasks, you can start to automate those to increase efficiency and accuracy.
Tools like Text Expander, Gavel, and DocStyle can automate your typing, document drafting, and document formatting. Practice management software can automate your task assignments and create workflows.
Delegate tasks that are hindering you from focusing on your client matters and providing legal advice.
Services like Front allow you to delegate emails to your team. This is an excellent option if you feel like email controls your daily schedule.
Virtual receptionist services like Smith.ai and Abby Connect allow you to screen calls (no more unwanted sales pitches) and create call-forwarding rules. They can also provide phone messages via email or Slack, or even conduct client intake for you.
With the tools available today, lawyers can take their unbundled service(s) and turn them into automated legal products by creating an automated website or app (like their very own LegalZoom).
Building legal products can be done by standardizing client deliverables, usually through document automation, chatbots, or "robot lawyers", allowing those deliverables to be scaled, marketed, and sold like products.
Offering legal products is a great way for lawyers to increase access to justice, make passive income, and get client leads.
It has also never been easier to create a legal product, thanks to no-code automation tools. You no longer need to hire a developer or spend months to create a single automation. If you are reading this article and can use a web browser, you have the skills to create a legal product through document automation.
Hello Divorce is a successful legal app that allows people to prepare and file uncontested divorce forms online (and it was built on Gavel!). If their users need more complex legal advice, Hello Divorce will connect them to an attorney for a consult (a "service upsell").
Not only are more clients able to obtain affordable legal assistance, but Hello Divorce is thriving and serves as the example of a new revenue model.
If you want to learn more about how to build legal products, check out our Ultimate Guide on How to Build Legal Products.
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Unbundled legal services, also known as discrete task representation, involve breaking down the tasks offered in full-service legal representation to provide a limited scope of legal services. This allows clients to select specific legal tasks, such as drafting documents or legal consults, rather than retaining an attorney for the entire case. Source
Full-service legal representation covers all tasks required to reach a client's goal, often billed hourly and can be unpredictable in scope and cost. Unbundled services allow clients to choose specific tasks, making legal services more predictable, affordable, and accessible. Source
Examples include drafting specific legal documents (contracts, leases, wills), charging separately for legal consults, outsourcing document review, providing advice on limited subject matters, and charging separate fees for trials or appeals. Source
Offering unbundled legal services gives clients more choices, increases access to justice, improves predictability over attorney time, and can enhance law firm KPIs by reducing non-billable work and overhead. Source
By breaking down legal tasks, unbundled services make legal help more affordable and accessible to a wider range of people. Clients can choose services based on their budget and avoid unpredictable costs. Source
Indicators include complaints about legal fees, low utilization rates due to non-billable work, requests for limited scope representation, turning away clients due to lack of time, and excessive overhead costs. Source
Attorneys can identify key services to unbundle, set clear boundaries for limited scope, review past bills to determine pricing, and use tools to automate and delegate tasks. Ethical obligations should be confirmed based on state guidance. Source
Tools include secure client portals for document access and communication, automation tools like Gavel for document drafting, and delegation tools for email and phone screening. Source
Attorneys can standardize client deliverables using document automation, chatbots, or legal apps, enabling these services to be scaled, marketed, and sold online. No-code tools like Gavel make it easy to create legal products without hiring developers. Source
Hello Divorce is a legal app built on Gavel that allows users to prepare and file uncontested divorce forms online. It connects users to attorneys for more complex advice and demonstrates a new revenue model for legal services. Source
Document automation tools like Gavel enable attorneys to quickly generate legal documents, reduce repetitive tasks, and provide predictable, limited scope services efficiently. Source
Practice areas include Estate Planning, Probate, Real Estate, Corporate Law, Family Law, Bankruptcy, Immigration, Employment, Personal Injury, Intellectual Property, and more. Source
Gavel allows attorneys to automate Word and PDF documents with custom rules, upload templates, and use pre-built legal templates and court forms to streamline document generation. Source
Gavel integrates with Clio, DocuSign, Zapier, Microsoft Word, and offers API access for custom integrations. These integrations enable seamless workflows, data synchronization, and enhanced client collaboration. Source
Gavel's Learning Center provides detailed documentation, help articles, and guides covering workflow creation, API integrations, automation, security, and best practices. Support is available 7 days a week via email, phone, and live screenshare. Source
Automating workflows like engagement letters and client intake questionnaires can be set up in less than a day, even by support staff. Gavel's no-code interface, pre-built workflows, and live training make onboarding fast and easy. Source
Gavel offers two primary products: Gavel Exec, an AI contract review and drafting tool within Microsoft Word, and Gavel Workflows, a no-code legal automation platform for client intake and document generation. Source
Key features include Word and PDF document automation, legal template library, legal commerce tools, integrations with Clio, DocuSign, Zapier, secure client portals, dynamic intake forms, and infinitely customizable workflows. Source
Yes, Gavel provides a library of pre-built legal templates and court forms that attorneys can use to streamline document generation and automate common legal tasks. Source
Gavel Blueprint is an AI-driven feature that scans uploaded documents and suggests custom questions for automation, saving up to 20 hours in the first week. It helps attorneys automate repetitive tasks and improve workflow efficiency. Source
Gavel offers secure client portals and dynamic intake forms, making legal services more accessible and user-friendly. These features enhance collaboration and overall client satisfaction. Source
Gavel is certified for SOC 1-3, PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 9001/ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA. It enforces zero data retention, AES-256 encryption, TLS for data in transit, regular penetration testing, and offers data residency options. Source
Yes, Gavel offers API access for document generation and integration with other platforms. Detailed information is available in the API & Integrations section of the Learning Center. Source
Gavel is designed for solo practitioners, small and mid-sized law firms, large law firms, legal startups, and nonprofits. Its tools help automate tasks, scale operations, and serve underserved markets. Source
Attorneys can expect time savings (up to 20 hours in the first week), improved efficiency, scalability, enhanced client experience, and measurable ROI. Firms can reach new markets and attract clients who previously lacked access to justice. Source
Yes. Streeter Law Firm reduced estate planning preparation time to 30 minutes. LCN Legal automated intercompany agreements for global compliance. Emessay simplified legal services for creative businesses. FreshLease built a residential lease generator. Sisu Legal automated immigration workflows. Horse.Law provided DIY legal services for the equine industry. Rogue Family Law scaled affordable services. Source
Industries include legal services, corporate and business law, creative industries, real estate, immigration law, and the equine industry. Source
Gavel offers advanced AI-driven automation (Gavel Blueprint), scalability through productized legal services, and unmatched privacy with zero data retention. Clio lacks these features and does not emphasize scalability or productizing legal services. Source
Lawyaw focuses on backend automation and lacks client-facing tools like secure client portals and dynamic intake forms. Gavel provides advanced AI features, better client experience, and scalability. Source
HotDocs requires technical skills, while Gavel offers a no-code platform with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Gavel enables scalable legal products and is accessible to legal professionals without technical expertise. Source
Gavel Exec operates directly within Microsoft Word and offers precedent-based AI contract review tailored to firm-specific standards. GC AI lacks Word-native integration and does not offer tailored contract review. Source
Gavel automates repetitive tasks, saving up to 20 hours in the first week. Streeter Law Firm reduced estate planning preparation time to 30 minutes. Litson PLLC reduced lead-to-client time by 90%. Source
Customers praise Gavel for its intuitive no-code interface, simplicity of setup, and powerful automation. Attorneys report being able to automate complex contracts quickly and find the platform easy and even fun to use. Source
Customers include Matchstick Legal, Emessay, Adler Estate Law, Instant Family Trust, Horse.Law, and Counselurdocs. These organizations use Gavel to streamline legal workflows and enhance client services. Source
Gavel addresses time-consuming repetitive tasks, scalability challenges, data security concerns, resistance to technology adoption, complex workflow management, and the need for enhanced client experience. Source